Ambush on Wa'ahila Ridge
by moonjat54
Summary: A gunman waits on a mountain trail for an unsuspecting McGarrett.  Can the team find him before he succumbs to his injuries?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But I sure like playing with their characters.**

**I could not resist jumping on the "whump Steve" bandwagon. And I have been dying to take a shot at writing a Danny rant. I hope that I can deliver on both counts.**

**Please know that I have never visited Hawaii and any information on the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail is only from a Google search. Any errors are strictly unintentional and I hope will be forgiven. I was only hoping to add a touch of realism to my story.**

**Ambush on Wa'ahila Ridge**

Chapter 1

The late day sun was filtering through the trees and shone down on the figure moving briskly along the trail. The Saturday sunlight got more intense as the trees thinned out while Steve McGarrett made his way up the steep trail. The ex-SEAL enjoyed pushing himself against the challenge of the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail and he was happy that it appeared he had the trail to himself this late in the day. There had been one other car in the parking area when he arrived but so far he had not met any other hikers.

Pausing for a moment, Steve adjusted the straps on the small backpack he carried for this short hike. He was travelling light, carrying only water, some power bars and a few other items, knowing he didn't plan to be out long. Increasing his pace, he knew he wasn't far from one of the high points on the ridge and he wanted to reach that spot before taking a water break. Steve was enjoying the feel of his body's response to the demands of the trail.

Ten minutes later he reached the predetermined stopping spot higher up on the trail. He paused with hands on his hips to look out over the view that stretched out before him. Up here with fewer trees, the sun was warmer and he thought about shedding the khaki shirt he wore over his body hugging white T-shirt but changed his mind as a brisk breeze picked up.

Looking out over the landscape, Steve felt a sense of peace settle over his soul. As he took a few deep breaths he recognized why the sense of well being hit him here at this moment. He was finally home. His Navy career had bounced him all over the world and he had little trouble adapting to the changing environments he had found himself in. There had been no trouble in finding success in the commitment he had made to the service but now that his father's murder had brought him back to Hawaii and the Governor had offered him this task force, he knew he was finally back where he really belonged. The 5-0 task force was a perfect fit for him and he was feeling a personal satisfaction with the team that he had handpicked. Danny, Chin and Kono were now his family and he was comfortable with the way the team fit together.

If Steve had been aware of the eyes on him he might not have felt so relaxed. He didn't see the binoculars the followed his every move from a higher ridge. The unknown man had been shadowing McGarrett for the last month, tracking every move and becoming accustomed to the Lt. Commander's routine. It had been thanks to sophisticated eavesdropping equipment that he had been able to overhear McGarrett inform Chin Ho Kelly that he planned a late day run on the Wa'ahila Ridge today while they arranged a fishing outing for the next morning.

This gave the man a perfect opportunity to fulfill the contract he had been offered to kill Steve McGarrett. He knew that sooner or later the Lt. Commander would go beyond his daily swims and put himself in a more remote location where he could be eliminated. This spot was absolutely the right place to claim the large bounty that had been placed on McGarrett's head.

As Steve looked out over the inspiring view before him, a smile tugged at his lips as he heard Danny Williams's voice ring in his head. His partner's rant was all ready playing in his mind as he imagined Danny's response to a suggestion that he might enjoy a hike on the trail.

"Why on earth would anyone in their right mind….and you do not qualify as that Steven ….want to go off into the wilderness where there is the chance of encountering dangerous animals and possibly fall off a cliff?" He could hear it clearly along with the hand gestures that would accompany the rant as if Danny were standing beside him.

A sly smile stole across Steve's face as he began to formulate plans to lure Danny out on the trail with him soon. He was going to turn his partner into an islander yet, in spite of the man's protests. He brought his phone out and activated the camera option to snap a few shots of the surrounding scenery.

From his vantage point, the gunman lifted his rifle to center on a spot just above the small pack hanging on Steve's back. This was just going to be too easy, the man thought happily. He was all ready spending the generous paycheck that this kill was going to bring him. Carefully he sighted the weapon, savoring the moment before he pulled the trigger, the moment that always brought him great satisfaction.

The bird that chose that moment to launch itself into the air had no idea that it would save Steve McGarrett's life. As Steve pivoted to catch a picture of the bird in flight, his movement changed the target that the man had just as he fired. The bullet buried itself in Steve's right shoulder instead of his heart and spun him around in the direction of his shooter. Out of instinct, Steve dropped low as a second shot rang out, the bullet striking the cell phone in his hand and sending it flying off into the brush along the trail. As Steve tried to find where the attack was coming from, a third shot came quickly, grazing his right temple as he tried to move away. Steve was knocked backward, off the trail and down the steep incline behind him.

Steve's body bounced and rolled down the slope, until he finally struck a tree in his path, halting his fall. The unconscious form of the ex-SEAL curled around the trunk, landing on his left side. Blood steeped steadily from his shoulder and head while his lower left leg was twisted in a very unnatural position. McGarrett lay still, exposed to the threat above, with no way to protect himself.

Taking his time, the gunman made his way down the trail from where he had been after breaking down his weapon and concealing it in a duffel bag. He carefully moved to the edge of the trail to look down and confirm his kill after being sure that no one else was around. Several yards below he could see the body of Steve McGarrett wrapped around a tree trunk. He could see the blood staining the man's back and head. There was no movement from the figure and he noticed the twisted leg that was clearly broken. Having no desire to risk going down the hillside to be positive, he took out his own cell phone and took a picture of the figure below him. He was confident that even if there was any life in McGarrett at the moment, with the way he was bleeding and with night falling there was little likelihood of Steve McGarrett surviving until morning. With a satisfied nod, he headed back down the trail to his car, sure that his job had been successful.

End chapter.

**I always appreciate reviews. Please share with me your impressions. Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. However I cannot resist the urge to write about this fun show.**

**Thank you so much for the response to my first chapter. You blew me away with the reviews. I am not a fast writer and I have another story going for another show so my updates will be steady but not always fast. Please bear with me. Thanks.**

Chapter 2

The night had fallen several hours earlier when Steve finally came back to consciousness. His head was pounding dully and his attempt to move threatened to plunge him right back into oblivion. Remaining still, he tried to assess his condition. His right shoulder burned with pain and attempts to move his right arm only increased the intense pain. His right leg moved without difficulty but his left leg from below the knee was providing another source of agony. Panting shallowly, Steve lay still and gathered his strength. He couldn't just lay there and do nothing; he would have to move slowly and learn how severe his injuries were. Awkwardly he brought his left arm up to touch the right side of his head. His temple where the bullet had creased his skull was tender to the touch but the bleeding had stopped and the blood was dry. From the feel of it, Steve knew that it was only a shallow wound.

He blinked and looked around in the faint light that reached him from the half moon peaking through the cloud cover. He steeled himself for another attempt to move and tried to roll over on his back. Shifting carefully he halted as an uncomfortable lump prevented him from laying flat. His backpack was the cause and that reminded him of what he had been carrying in it. Water, suddenly his injured body made him aware of how thirsty he was. Taking a deep breath, the ex-SEAL used his good left arm to lever himself into a sitting position. With a great deal of effort he fought off the pain and worked on slipping out of the straps of the pack. He removed the left one with some ease but working his arm out of the right one threatened to bring the pain level high enough to make him pass out again. Slowly he eased it off his bloody right shoulder and down his arm. Once he had the pack free and in his lap, Steve leaned against the tree trunk with his good shoulder and tried to keep a clear head. Beads of sweat coated his brow as he fought off the new round of pain his leg produced as he changed his position. Taking a few minutes to rest, thirst finally drove him to go about opening the pack and withdrawing a bottle of water that had remained intact in spite of his tumble down the slope. Twisting off the top, he raised the bottle to his lips and drank greedily. The welcome moisture soothed his dry throat and Steve groaned in relief as he swallowed it. Forcing himself to recap the bottle to save some of the water for later, he closed his eyes and rested against the tree trying to recover the strength he had expended just taking off the backpack and retrieving a bottle of water.

"This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into," he muttered under his breath.

With the knowledge that his should was still bleeding slowly and unable to reach the wound to try and halt the seepage, Steve turned his attention to the problem of getting back up to the trail. The question was going to be how to accomplish that. The light that did reach him didn't illuminate the area well enough to see how badly his leg was broken. He could attempt to splint it if he could see it and look around for something to use to hold it in place.

That reminded him of the small powerful flashlight he had tossed into the backpack on impulse before leaving the house. Digging around in the pack he found it and brought it out, clicking it on and shining it down on his legs. He swallowed hard as he saw the tip of bone showing through the tear in his dark cargo pants. This really wasn't a good development. Fortunately that wound did not appear to be actively bleeding at the moment.

Automatically Steve reached for his phone and then remembered he had been taking pictures when the first shot rang out. His phone had to be somewhere either up on the trail or had fallen down the slope with him. Not having it meant prevented any way to call for help. In frustration he shone the light around the area, hoping against hope that the phone had followed him in his fall down the incline but he came up empty. There was too much area where it could have fallen and he wasn't even sure he could get to it if it was lying near. He wondered if he had any chance of a hiker seeing him once the morning came and then he remembered that he had a fishing date with Chin at 7:30 AM. Relief rushed through him as the realization hit him that someone would notice his absence before too long. He knew Chin would come looking for him when he didn't find Steve at home. He just needed to hang on; help would be coming in the morning. Chin was aware of where Steve planned to hike.

As he leaned against the tree, his mind took the next step, just what had happened up on that ridge? This was not a mistaken shooting by a careless hunter. From where the first shot had hit him and recalling that he had been turning to take a picture of a bird in flight, Steve knew the first bullet would have been a kill shot. Luck and losing his balance with the head shot had saved his life when it tumbled him down off the trail. But then why hadn't the gunman finished the job? He knew he had been a sitting duck after the fall and a shot from above would have finished him off. Shining the flashlight up the incline provided a partial answer to the question. He had fallen several yards and it was likely that when seeing the injuries Steve had sustained the assassin believed he had accomplished his mission. It was a sloppy mistake Steve concluded but one that the ex-SEAL was grateful for. Because of the error of not confirming the kill, McGarrett still had a fighting chance to survive this. And then they would have to find out who had targeted him and tried to have him killed.

The effort to stay sitting and the continuing pain from his shoulder and leg began to drain Steve's strength. Tendrils of fog started to tug at his consciousness and when he shook his head to clear it he only increased the pounding in his head. He continued to fight to stay awake but the blackness rose up to take him and slowly the Lt. Commander slumped against the tree, lost to the darkness.

During the rest of the night Steve came awake briefly a few times but the constant pain and his waning strength kept the moments short. Any movement, no matter how little would rise up and pull him back under. He gave up fighting for the time and let sleep do what it could to help him heal.

A short time before dawn the clouds thickened and a light rain started. The gentle, warm shower roused McGarrett back to wakefulness and he blinked up in the pre-dawn light to look around and attempt to sit up once more. A wave of dizziness tried to knock him back down but he fought it off and looked around at his surroundings. A glance at his watch showed him that in just a little while Chin would be stopping by the house to pick him up and would realize that Steve hadn't come home. Steve knew Chin Ho Kelly well enough to be sure that the man would not shrug his absence off and forget about him. He would call the others and come looking for him. In his weakened state Steve counted on that because he seriously doubted that he had the strength to drag himself up the slope above him. He lay back down and covered his face with his left arm. The rain felt good, refreshing but he knew that if help didn't come soon his recovery would be compromised the longer he was out in the elements.

"Don't take too long Chin," he muttered and then uttered a short ironic laugh. "Looks like Danny will get out here hiking after all."

End chapter.

**Well my dear readers, I hope I wasn't too mean to Steve. There is hope of a rescue if our guy can hold on. Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And I really want CBS to confirm a second season!**

**Thank you again to all who have read and especially those who reviewed. You are so very kind. It is time to bring the rest of the team into this story.**

Chapter 3

"He went to do what?" Danny Williams exploded as the vehicle he was riding in pulled away from his apartment complex. He glared at Chin Ho Kelly who had come knocking on his door at eight AM on a Sunday and told him to dress for a hike. It wasn't until they were in the car that Chin explained where they were headed and why. The Jersey native had reacted in typical Danny fashion.

"He went on a late day hike on Wa'ahila Ridge yesterday. We had a fishing date at 7:30 this morning but when I got there, Steve wasn't home and he's not answering his cell," Chin related for the second time.

"And because he stood you up, we are going hiking?" Danny asked as he got warmed up for a rant. "Why can't the man relax like normal people? You know…swing in a hammock, go to a sports bar and watch a game….or hell, why not go surfing like everyone else does on this rock?" His rant continued, complete with hand motions punctuating each word. "No…Super SEAL has to go hiking….all by himself…somewhere secluded. And then he has to make you all worried by missing a fishing date."

"I'm sure Steve had every intention of keeping our date. And he likes to go off and run the trail, it's part of his training routine," Chin answered quietly. He knew something was wrong, he could feel it in his gut.

"Training! What is he training for? The Olympics? He's not in the SEALs anymore Chin," Danny said in frustration. It didn't take a detective to see that Chin was worried and Danny's own concern was rising in spite of his words.

"Sorry, poor choice of words," Chin said ruefully. "You know Danny, SEALs never fully retire. With their mind set they stay ready. And you have to remember McGarrett hasn't retired, he is still in the Reserves."

Danny let out a long sigh and reached up to massage the bridge of his nose. With the day to day routine with 5-0, Danny did forget that Steve had not completely severed his connection with the Navy. Of course the man would continue his insane fitness routine to stay ready. Slacking off was not in the man's nature.

"You're right," he acknowledged reluctantly. Danny knew that Chin was a pretty unflappable character and not prone to panic. If the man felt a search was necessary, it was necessary.

"Are you sure that he didn't just hook up with Catherine and forgot to call you?" he asked hopefully.

"The Enterprise is out to sea," was the quiet response.

"He wouldn't just decide to camp out, would he?" Danny asked, grasping at straws. He didn't like the growing knot of apprehension in his stomach. Something had prevented Steve McGarrett from returning home from his hike and if the timeline that Chin had presented was accurate….Steve had been out in the wilderness for over 12 hours. And Danny knew that Steve would not blow off a fishing date with Chin. "Okay…so what's next? We go looking for him….what is Kono doing?" He knew very well if the older man had come for him, he had called his cousin as well.

"She is at headquarters. I've got her trying to GPS Steve's phone. She's also checking to see if the park department can confirm if Steve's truck is still at the recreational area. If we need to call in the evacuation unit, she will coordinate that. Given the terrain where the boss was headed, we may not be able to bring him out alone," Chin replied.

Danny nodded as he began to run possible scenarios through his head, imagining what might have happened. Images of Steve falling off a cliff or coming out on the wrong end of a fight with a wild boar seemed to be ludicrous, but did not ease the knot that continued to grow inside him.

The ringing of Chin's phone made both men exchange concerned looks.

"Hey Kono, what have you got?" Chin answered.

"Well Cuz, Steve's truck is parked in the Wa'ahila parking area. I still can't get through to Steve's phone, it just goes to voicemail and I can't access the GPS. It's not like the boss to shut his phone off completely," Kono's worried voice came from the small instrument.

"Danny and I are almost there. We're going to head out on the trail, we'll call when we learn anything," Chin told her. "Don't worry Cuz, we'll find him," he added softly.

"You had better," Kono responded, the strain in her voice still clear.

"I hear you," Chin said and then hung up. He looked at Danny grimly. "This is not looking good. Steve should have been off the trail by seven last night at the latest. He knew I was coming by for him at 7:30 this morning."

"That makes him missing for at least 14 hours," Danny muttered. "Can't we get search parties out there with us? Is this trail used a lot by hikers? How difficult is the terrain?"

"The trail is rated moderate to difficult. I have no idea how many hikers would be out today, it rained earlier this morning. As for search parties, it is a busy day on the island today bro….there is a Special Olympics event going on in the city and a surfing competition on the North Shore. Not too many extra bodies available to search for one man," Chin said with a shake of his head. "Without definite proof that Steve is in any danger, it is not possible to raise a search party at this point. It is up to us."

"You know that the only reason that Steve didn't come off that trail is because something bad has happened," Danny said heatedly. "There's no way he'd turn off his phone, the man's a control freak. If he is still out there then something or someone has incapacitated him."

"You and I know that brah…it does not move others to raise a search party at this time," Kelly reminded him. "We follow protocol on this."

Danny nodded in frustration. As he stared out the window, his fear for his partner irrationally started to turn to anger.

"Damn him Chin…why can't he behave like a normal person?"

"And when did you start thinking that Steve is a normal person?" Chin asked with a slight smile. "You need to readjust your standards."

Danny grinned in spite of himself. Yes, he did need to adjust his view of Steve McGarrett. The word normal should not be used in the same sentence with 5-0's leader. And Danny fully intended to point that out to McGarrett once they found the man and were sure he was all right.

His smile faded as Chin pulled into the parking area of the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail and saw Steve's truck sitting by itself in the empty lot. The knot in Danny's stomach did a sickening roll as the reality of the situation took on a more real certainty. Steve McGarrett did not walk off that mountain under his own steam.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. The search is about to begin. I appreciate any feedback you are willing to share.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I make no profit from using their characters but I sure do love the reviews.**

**Thank you for your whole hearted support that you have given me.**

Chapter 4

Chin parked next to Steve's truck and exchanged a tense look with Danny. To both of them, the presence of the vehicle spoke volumes about the reality of what they were facing. Danny looked towards the jungle foliage in front of the car. Steve was out there somewhere and undoubtedly hurt. Danny would not even entertain the darker possibility that his partner might be dead.

"Tell me again why running up and down mountain trails is better than working out in a gym," Danny groused as they got out of the car.

Chin just shook his head as he retrieved a backpack from the rear seat. He was aware that the Jersey native really wasn't looking for an answer. It was better to just let Danny vent sometimes.

"How difficult is this trail again?" Danny asked as he eyed the hard packed path that led into the trees. The mountain range rose up beyond the entrance to the trail.

"Moderate to difficult. Stick to the trail brah, you'll do fine," Chin said in amusement as he hefted the pack onto his back. "Just follow me and look for anything out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary?" Danny muttered as he followed Chin to the trail. "This whole place is out of the ordinary to me. I like concrete streets, high rises; you know…..places where I can see trouble coming. Not this jungle."

"I'm sure you do bruddah but right now you're stuck here so just go with it," Chin advised as he headed up the trail. Danny increased his pace to catch up.

For forty-five minutes they followed a trail that was level for part of the way and then began to climb steadily. They both checked the area along the beaten path for any sign that an accident occurred. The foliage remained undisturbed and the quiet of the surroundings was only broken by insect sounds, bird calls and the two men's breathing.

"Steve wouldn't leave the trail, would he?" Danny asked coming to a halt after reaching a level area in their climb.

"No, it's not advisable to go off trail," Chin replied.

"And that would stop Captain America?" Danny queried.

"Steve wouldn't leave the trail," Chin assured him as he produced a bottle of water and handed it to the blonde man. Danny accepted it gratefully and began to drink while Chin's phone rang, interrupting them.

"Hey Kono, we haven't found him yet," he reported as he answered his phone. He was very aware of how anxious his cousin was and he knew how very difficult it was for her to remain at headquarters, waiting for the news.

"I have the Army Evac unit standing by," Kono informed him. "What do you think has happened Chin?" she added worriedly.

"I don't know Cuz; we're checking the trail but haven't found anything yet. I can't help thinking Steve has run into some type of accident up here. I promise I'll call as soon as we know anything," Chin told her. "And thanks for securing the chopper, I have a feeling we'll need it."

"You just find the boss and bring him home quickly," Kono instructed and reluctantly clicked off the phone. She stared down at the smart table that displayed the layout of the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail. Like the other two members of the team, Kono knew it had to be a pretty serious accident that kept the boss from returning to his home after his hike. She continued to stare down at the table with furrowed brows.

"Where are you Boss?" she muttered.

*H 5-0*

Back on the trail, Danny and Chin resumed their trek upwards as the trail became steeper and the trees began to thin out. Nerves began to stretch tighter on the two men as there was no sign of McGarrett. He had to be along here somewhere as Chin knew because eventually the trail would end and the only way back was to retrace their steps. If Steve wasn't along here then there was one final possibility that made Chin's skin crawl. And if Steve wasn't here, then someone had incapacitated the ex-SEAL and taken him off the mountain and that would make finding him almost impossible.

Reaching one of the higher points of the trail, they paused to catch their breath and looked around. Danny whistled as he looked at the vista spread out before them.

"Wow….and to think, you practically have to have a heart attack to see this view," he panted.

"You need to get in shape Danny," Chin chuckled as he eyed the obviously fit detective. He couldn't resist teasing the man who loved to complain about everything Hawaiian. "Next time you should go out with Steve."

"Yea…cause it's obvious we can't let the man go out on his own," Danny retorted and paused as he noticed the light glinting off something in the brush just off the trail. "What the hell?" he questioned as he went to retrieve it. His stomach clenched as he picked up a damaged cell phone. "Chin, look at this."

The older man hurried to him and took the phone from Danny. He examined the shattered face of the cell grimly.

"It's Steve's," he confirmed. "It looks like a bullet did this."

"Sure does," Danny agreed and immediately went to the edge of the trail. He scanned the area below and caught his breath as his gaze stopped on the figure lying several yards down the slope. "Chin…..over here," he called, motioning him over to his side.

Chin came quickly and saw Steve McGarrett lying at the base of a tree, blood soaked and his left leg angled awkwardly.

"Steve! Hey McGarrett, can you hear us?" Danny called out, hoping for some response.

"Steve, come on…..answer us," Chin added his calls to Danny's. Quickly he shrugged out of the backpack straps and met Danny's eyes, seeing the same worry reflected there.

"This looks really, really bad," Danny said quietly. "Can you tell if he's breathing?"

"Not sure," Chin had to admit with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He pulled a rope out of the pack and began to uncoil it. "We won't know until one of us goes down to him. We have to assess his condition." He began to tie the rope end to one of the few trees nearby.

"Okay, I'm going down," Danny declared, grabbing the rope and preparing to head down the incline.

"Danny….wait," Chin ordered. He withdrew a canvas bag with a shoulder strap and emblazoned with a red cross. "You're going to need this bro."

"Thanks Chin," Danny said slipping the strap over his head and across his chest. With a tight grip on the rope, he started to cautiously back down the slope. For a moment his blue eyes met worried dark ones and he flashed a small, tight smile. "Get that rescue chopper in the air; I don't think I'm going to be able to carry the big guy up this hill."

End chapter.

**So now we have to get Danny down to Steve. Thanks for reading this story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. That fact is not stopping me from writing about it though.**

**Thank you again for all the lovely reviews and comments. You are very generous with your support.**

**I do not have this story completely written…I am writing each chapter just before I post so please be patient with me. I post as I get each chapter finished to my liking.**

Chapter 5

Danny Williams cautiously made his way down the grassy slope, hanging on tightly to his rope lifeline. He could feel the rope burning the skin of his palms as he clung to it and he adjusted his grip to ease the sting. The anxiousness to reach Steve had him increasing his pace but he had to steady himself, knowing that one wrong step could send him plunging down on top of his partner. Chin kept close watch from above, one hand holding the rope still and the other pressing his phone to his ear.

"Kono, send the helicopter to these coordinates, we have found Steve." He paused as Kono peppered him with questions. "I don't know it looks like he was shot. Danny's going down to him now," he relayed the information when she took a breath. He watched as Danny finally reached McGarrett and waited for confirmation that their boss was alive.

"I got a pulse," Danny shouted after lifting Steve's arm off his face and checking for a heartbeat.

"He's alive," Chin informed his cousin. "But he's hurt pretty bad and isn't conscious. Make sure they have a medic on board…..I can see Steve's leg is broken. Tell them he is half way down a steep slope."

"Got it Chin," Kono answered, relief rolling off her. "I'll make sure they get all that info. Take care of him Cuz," she ordered as she quickly hung up and made the call to the rescue helicopter.

Chin returned his attention to the two men down below him.

"Help is on the way," he yelled down and received a thumbs up from Danny.

Carefully balancing himself on the uneven ground, Danny began to examine his partner further. Steve was still unconscious but his heart was beating steadily and his breathing was easy. After being sure of that fact, Danny turned his attention to the rest of Steve's injuries.

The head wound appeared to be minor and it had crusted over, the healing all ready beginning. Steve's right shoulder and side were bloody but at the moment Danny was reluctant to move the injured man to look at him closer until he had finished the rest of his appraisal. At the present time the blood did not appear to be fresh and while Steve was pale he did not seem to be in any distress.

"Steve….hey buddy, can you hear me? Come on babe, wake up," he urged as he shook him gently by the left shoulder. He placed the back of his hand against Steve's forehead and could feel heat radiating off him. Williams knew that the fever indicated an infection was beginning and he forced his gaze to move down to McGarrett's leg. A large lump was in his throat as he saw the bone tip sticking out of his partner's pant leg. It was an ugly break and he was glad that help was on the way.

"And I thought my knee was painful," Danny muttered and heard a low groan escape from the man next to him. Immediately he turned his attention back to Steve's head. "Steve….Steve, come on, wake up," he urged again.

Slowly pain filled eyes flickered open and Danny saw confusion reflected back at him.

"Danny?"

"Yea, it's me buddy," Danny answered quickly. His hand went behind Steve's neck, the other rested lightly on his partner's good shoulder. "I need you to sit up buddy so I can get a good look at your shoulder. Can you do that?" Steve nodded slightly. "How on earth did you manage to get shot way out here?"

"Don't know…" Steve mumbled as he attempted to follow Danny's instructions and sit. "How'd you find me?"

"You stood Chin up for your fishing date. He got worried, came and got me and here we are," Danny said as he helped steady McGarrett in an upright position. Carefully he attempted to peel the stained and crusted shirt away from Steve's back but the material was adhered to the skin and the action produced a low cry of pain. "Okay….okay, it can wait a moment," he soothed. With a clearer view of the gunshot wound he could see just how stained his back was and with the effort to sit up had now produced a fresh trickle of blood that marked the entry point in the shoulder. "I'm going to have to try to stop this bleeding," he informed his friend. "Try to stay upright."

Danny dug into the first aid kit and pulled out several gauze squares. As he tore them out of the packaging, he tried to figure out how to hold them in place over the wound. A second look into the bag revealed an ACE bandage and he brought it out as he pressed the gauze against Steve's back and then used the stretchy bandage to hold it in place.

"Easy there," Steve protested as Danny tugged it tight and pinned the material secure.

"I thought you were tough….you are just lucky that this is a long bandage. You picked one inconvenient spot to have a bullet hole," Danny groused.

"Well if I hadn't moved when I did, all you would have needed to bring would have been a body bag," Steve replied dryly.

"Very funny. Just how did you manage to find an enemy in a place as remote as this? Did you piss off a hunter?" the Jersey native asked as he eased Steve sideways to lean against the tree trunk. He grabbed the half filled bottle of water that had been lying alongside Steve and uncapping it, he gave it to his partner.

"Not a hunter," McGarrett answered after he emptied the bottle. "This was intentional. He took out my phone with one shot and then tried for a head shot," he added, reaching up to touch the crease wound. "I got lucky and fell before he got a clean shot."

"You call this lucky?" Danny asked, sweeping one arm in a gesture that included the man and the surrounding area. "Remind me not to be around you when you're feeling unlucky."

"Chopper is 10 out," Chin called down to the two men.

"Thanks," Danny yelled back and Steve waved his hand in acknowledgement.

"What I can't figure out is why the shooter didn't finish the job. I was a sitting duck down here," Steve mused in puzzlement.

"Guess you played dead pretty convincingly babe," Danny smirked. The tight knot that had been present in his stomach was finally loosening now that he had found his partner alive. He could see that Steve was weakening and still in a lot of pain but the sound of the helicopter could be heard in the distance and that meant help was minutes away. It was going to be okay.

"Sounds like your ride is getting closer," he told Steve.

McGarrett nodded and closed his eyes wearily. He was feeling lightheaded and the effort to stay upright was both exhausting and painful. He tried to shut out the waves of agony that came from his leg and threatened to send him into unconsciousness again.

"Hang on Steve," Danny said shaking Steve's shoulder lightly. "Once we have you settled in the hospital, Chin, Kono and I will get to work on figuring out who shot you. I'm sure we will be incredibly busy because that list is undoubtedly long. You will be relieved to know though, at the moment, I am not on the top of that list."

Steve's lips quirked in a faint smile upon hearing Danny's statement.

"That is good to know Danno," the ex-SEAL said as the roar of the rescue chopper arrived just over the ridge.

End chapter.

**Things are moving along. Now we just have to get Steve to the hospital. Thank you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And I think it is safe to say that CBS is making me crazy with the promo for the season finale.**

**Thank you to all who have read and for those who reviewed; I have tried to answer all of you with PMs. For those of you that do not have "send message" in your profile….I do apologize but I have no way to reach you. Thank you for your reviews.**

Chapter 6

As the helicopter hovered overhead, stirring up dirt and whipping the grass around, Danny leaned over Steve trying to shield him from the flying debris.

"Steve, I will need your truck keys," Danny announced suddenly. "I can deliver it to headquarters for you."

Steve motioned towards his right pant pocket with his left hand and Danny quickly retrieved the keys. From above a man was descending on a cable from the open copter door.

"Help is on the way down," Danny informed his partner. "We'll have you at the hospital in no time."

Nodding weakly, Steve slumped more against the tree. The effort to sit up was draining him and staying conscious was becoming more difficult. Not that he wanted to admit that to Danny.

The medic landed close to them and unhooked the cable from his harness. As it vanished back up to the helicopter the man turned to the pair, looking at Danny first.

"Detective Williams, I'm Sgt. Josten, the medic. Please step back, I need to evaluate the Lt. Commander and prep him for transport," he instructed.

Danny nodded and moved back, watching anxiously as the medic knelt down next to Steve and began his exam. The noise from the helicopter prevented him from hearing what the sergeant asked Steve but he could see that Steve did manage to respond to the questions asked of him. Overhead a rescue basket and a second figure were being lowered to join them. As the basket settled on the uneven slope, the second man unhooked his cable and joined Sgt. Josten.

"Sir, we're going to need to stabilize that leg before we get you in the basket," Josten told Steve. He motioned to the other man, who grabbed an inflatable brace from the basket. "Are you with me Lt. Commander?" he asked as Steve's eyes had closed again. He shook McGarrett's uninjured shoulder and Steve made an effort to rouse himself and nod. "Okay, this is going to hurt but we need to get the brace on that leg. You hang on, okay?"

"Okay," Steve confirmed, gritting his teeth.

Standing several feet away, Danny found that his body stiffened in sympathy as he watched the two men carefully slide the brace over Steve's broken left leg. His hands were clenched in tight fists as he heard the sharp cry of pain that Steve could not suppress as they inflated the device that immobilized his leg. Josten turned to Danny when they had finished and Steve was now being held upright by the second soldier.

"You can climb back up the slope Detective. We'll take good care of the Lt. Commander," he advised.

"No," Danny said stubbornly. "I'll wait until you get Steve safely on that chopper."

Josten nodded in understanding and turned back to his partner. Together they lifted McGarrett into the basket and secured him with straps to hold him in.

"Danny," Steve called out before the command to raise the basket was given. Danny hurried to his side while the other two men kept the carrier steady on the uneven ground.

"What do you need?" Danny asked in concern.

"Don't change the radio station on the truck," Steve ordered with a weak grin. "No Bon Jovi, you hear?"

"I make no promises you tone deaf Neanderthal," Danny responded with a huge grin on his face and slapped his partner's good shoulder. "See you at the hospital. Be a good little SEAL and cooperate with the doctors."

Steve gave him a thumbs up and a small smile as the signal to raise the basket was given. The second man had reattached his cable and rose with Steve towards the helicopter. Sgt. Josten turned to Danny as he waited for his cable to come down to him.

"We will get him safely to the hospital. He should be okay once the leg is set and the bullet removed. Nice work with the ACE bandage by the way," he said as the cable lowered to him.

"Thanks," Danny acknowledged as the man fastened the cable to his harness and began his ascent up to the helicopter.

Once Danny was sure they were all on board and the chopper was heading back to town, he grabbed the first aid bag and began his own climb back up the hillside. Chin was watching, holding the rope secure at the top and keeping a close eye on his progress. As soon as Danny was close enough, he grabbed his arm and pulled him all the way to the top. Danny leaned over to catch his breath while Chin coiled the rope back up and put it in the backpack.

"I've been studying the angle from where I think the shot that hit Steve in the shoulder must have come from," Chin said as he worked. He straightened up and pointed to a ridge higher up from their location. "My best guess is that the shooter had to be up there somewhere, lying in wait."

"But how did he know that Steve would be here yesterday?" Danny asked as he squinted against the sun, looking to where Chin pointed.

"I don't know. I guess that is a question we will have to ask when we catch him," Chin said mildly.

"Well I don't envy the crime scene unit having to schlep all their equipment up here to check things out," Danny grinned at Chin. "We need to get off this ridge and make sure Super SEAL is all right."

"I'm with you brah," Chin said and slapped Danny on the back. "You up to a quick hike down the trail?"

"No problem," the shorter man said as Chin shouldered the backpack. Before following Danny back down the trail, he took out his cell phone and speed dialed Kono.

"Hey Cuz, they've got Steve on the copter and are headed to the hospital," he told her when she answered. "Did they tell you which one they would be taking him too?"

"Medical Center West," Kono answered quickly. "I'll head out now and be waiting there. How was Steve doing?"

"He was conscious when they put him on board. We're heading off the trail now, it will be about forty five minutes at the rate Danny is heading downhill," Chin said with a laugh.

"Just don't let him fall and break a leg too," Kono advised with her own laugh. "I cannot see having the two of them in the hospital together."

"I hear you," Chin agreed with a chuckle. "We will see you there." He hung up and pocketed his phone and then called out to Danny who was moving downhill ahead of him. "Hey Danny, Steve's going to be at Medical Center West. Kono is going there now. Take it easy or I'll end up carrying you off this mountain."

Danny slowed a bit and let Chin catch up. He looked at him thoughtfully.

"I've been thinking. Steve feels it was someone targeting him specifically and the ambush seems to be intentional, so that means we have someone who definitely wants Steve dead. Just how long a list are we looking at do you think?" Danny asked in concern.

"Steve hasn't been out of the Navy all that long, so unless it is someone who holds a grudge from his service days….I would think it would be related to our work on 5-0," Chin replied. "And you know who heads that list."

"Wo Fat," Danny nodded. "But he has made no overt move like this before and this doesn't seem his style."

"Whoever it is, they are going to soon learn they failed," Chin said.

"We had better call in some protection then," Danny said grimly. "In the hospital Steve's a sitting duck."

End chapter.

**Thanks for reading. It appears we have a man hunt on our hands now. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And the real owners almost gave me a heart attack last night.**

**I wrote this episode before I saw the season finale. Since this is set before that episode, the Governor is the woman we met in the pilot. And thank you for the great support you have given me.**

Chapter 7

It was about an hour later that Danny followed Chin into the parking lot at Hawaii Medical Center West. The time it took to get off the mountain and drive to the hospital had bothered Danny but even with the lights flashing, they couldn't arrive sooner. They rushed inside, anxious to reach the waiting room and see what was happening. Once there, they found Kono sitting alone in the surgical waiting room, hands clasped before her and head down as if in prayer. As they approached, her head snapped up, dark eyes full of worry.

"He's in surgery right now. They are removing the bullet and setting his leg. I was told someone would be out to brief us as soon as they are finished," she reported, relieved to finally have them there.

"Was he conscious when they brought him in?" Danny asked in concern while Chin patted her shoulder in comfort as he sat beside her. The uncomfortable hard cushioned chair squeaked in protest as he sat.

"Oh yes," Kono confirmed, a small smile on her lips. "He told the doctor to make it quick; he had a hit man to track down."

Chin and Danny exchanged grins, knowing that Steve was behaving true to form. But while Super SEAL might think he would be ready to go back to work as soon as he got out of surgery, they might have to tie him to his hospital bed for his own good. Danny picked one of the chairs opposite the cousins and tried to relax.

"Any idea how long this should take?" he asked.

"No, they didn't say," Kono sighed. "It's been at least forty-five minutes."

"Well, then we wait," Chin said quietly and gave Kono a quick hug.

They sat for what seemed like forever, not willing to check the clock and know just how long their leader was in surgery. Two HPD officers showed up and Danny briefed them on what was expected of them. Then the men left to take up their posts outside the operating room. It was not much later that a tall thin man in scrubs entered from a plain door behind them. He was met by three pairs of anxious eyes.

"I'm Dr. Patten. Lt. Commander McGarrett is in recovery and doing quite well. We've set his leg and put a pin in it for strength. It looks good. The bullet in his shoulder did not hit anything major and we have removed it. The Lt. Commander needed to be transfused and will still receive a few more pints of blood along with antibiotics to fight off the infection. Once he wakes up from the anesthesia, we will move him to a private room. Do I understand that you have officers assigned to guard him?" All three nodded at that question. "Well then they will be shown which room and informed as to who has clearance to enter his room," Dr. Patten reported.

"When can we see him?" Danny asked.

"Once he is awake and settled in his room. Right now he cannot answer any questions. I will have a nurse come and tell you when he has been transferred."

Thank you Doctor," Chin said, speaking for the group.

With a nod, the doctor turned and left.

"Well…that sounds good," Kono said hopefully.

"Yea, he'll survive. So now how do we keep it that way?" Danny said grumpily.

"We find out who did the shooting and if anyone else is involved," Chin said practically.

A sound of raised voices directed their attention to the hallway that was just outside the waiting room. Looking to the entrance they were met by the strange vision of a petite nurse trying to prevent a very large Hawaiian from entering the waiting room. With a big grin on his face, Danny got up and went to the rescue of the nurse.

"Miss, it's okay," Danny told her. "We know him it is okay for him to come in."

The young woman nodded gratefully and walked away. Danny turned to the behemoth standing there looking very uncomfortable.

"Hey Shaved Ice, what brings you to the hospital?" he grinned up at the man.

"Word is that my 5-0 bruddah was hurt. So I came to see what happened to big Steve," Kamekona stated as he walked past Danny and into the room. He looked around the plain room sadly and then back at Danny.

"Steve was shot, big guy," Danny told him quietly. "And just how public is this knowledge?"

"Those in the know…..know," Kamekona said cryptically. "I just heard McGarrett was hurt. Who shot him?"

"We don't know that yet," Chin told him, getting up and shaking the man's hand. "We could use your contacts brah. Do you think you could check around and see if someone is arranging to have Steve killed?"

"I can do that," the big man agreed seriously. "I haven't heard of anyone wanting him dead but I will see what I can learn."

"Thanks buddy," Danny said gratefully.

The sound of determined footsteps in the hallway drew everyone's attention to the doorway in time to see Governor Jameson walk in. Two of her aides remained in the entrance, effectively sealing the way in and insuring privacy. Kamekona retreated several steps as the woman stopped in front of Chin and Danny.

"So, how is he?" she asked without preamble. Both men could see the strain on her face.

"He's in recovery ma'm. The doctor said surgery went well," Danny answered first. "They will be moving him to a private room once he is awake."

"We're hoping we can get more information from him when we see him," Chin added.

"Just what happened?" Jameson demanded in bewilderment. "I was told Lt. Commander McGarrett was shot."

"He was ambushed while running on the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail yesterday afternoon. He was left for dead and we found him this morning. He's lucky to be alive," Danny told her grimly.

"Who?"

"We don't know yet Governor," Chin replied. "We will start looking into it as soon as we get a chance to question Steve. The crime scene unit is checking the site now."

"You have security set up for him here?" she asked looking around the room. Kono had joined the group and even Kamekona had moved to stand between the group and the door to the OR. Jameson noted the protective posture that McGarrett's team and friends had taken and nodded in satisfaction.

"We have two officers guarding him now. We will beef up security if necessary," Danny informed her. He had assumed leadership of the team in Steve's absence and neither Chin nor Kono raised any objection. "After we see Steve, we will get to work on trying to discover who wants him dead."

"All right Detective Williams," the Governor nodded. "I trust that you know what to do and I will expect updates." She looked at all of the members of the team. "Officers Kelly and Kalakaua, you call if my office can be of any assistance." She paused and her face softened and she dropped the formal tone. "Please keep me informed on how Steve is doing," she requested softly and then turned and left.

The 5-0 teammates exchanged quick smiles but were prevented from saying anything when a nurse appeared from the doorway leading to the OR and Recovery.

"Lt. Commander McGarrett is in his room and able to have visitors," she announced. "Please follow me."

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. It is going to be a long wait until fall. I guess fanfiction will have to get us through the wait.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And I am grateful that those who do have renewed it for a second season.**

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I have tried to reply through the PM Service on FF but if you don't have it I cannot respond to you personally. Please know that I am grateful for your reviews as well and consider yourself thanked.**

Chapter 8

The four followed the nurse through the hospital corridors until they reached a door that was flanked by the two HPD officers who had checked in earlier. The two men nodded to the team and gave Kamekona a strange look. Given that none of the three 5-0 personal objected to having the huge man with them, the officers wisely remained quiet. The nurse stopped and looked at the group.

"He will be groggy from the anesthesia and will find it difficult to remain awake. Try not to over-tire him, sleep is the best thing for him," she instructed.

"Thanks, we'll remember that," Danny assured her.

Kono opened the door and entered first, anxious to be sure the boss was all right. The sight of McGarrett lying quietly in the hospital bed, his head raised slightly made her halt a few steps into the room. She had not expected to see the ex-SEAL look so vulnerable but that was exactly how he appeared, the artificial lighting making his normally tan skin look pale. His right shoulder and upper arm were encased in white bandages and his left leg was uncovered and sporting a plaster cast from mid-thigh to his foot with only his toes exposed.

At the sound of the others entering the room, Steve's eyes flickered open and he focused on Kono, his lips quirking up in a weak smile.

"Hey Boss," she said brightly.

Machines beeped softly in the background, filling the silence for a moment, then his smile widened.

"Kono," he said his voice raspy. His eyes went from her to the others standing behind her and he raised his left hand to motion them closer.

Danny and Chin followed her to his bedside, Chin on his right and Danny and Kono to his left. Kamekona hovered several steps from the foot of the bed, not far from the door. Mindful of the various tubes that attached Steve to medicine and blood, Kono took his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Good to see you awake. How do you feel?" she asked.

"Like I was hit by a truck," Steve groaned.

"Well that's what happens when you take a header down a mountain slope," Danny said with a smirk and then became serious. "Are they giving you something for pain?"

"I think so. Not feeling much pain. Mostly tired," McGarrett said fuzzily. He looked at the large shape shifting from foot to foot at the end of the bed. "Are you okay bruddah?" he asked squinting at the clearly uncomfortable man.

"I'm fine, just not crazy about hospitals," Kamekona admitted sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure you were good."

"Mahalo, I will be," Steve answered.

"Steve, do you have any idea who did this or wanted it done?" Chin asked. He could see McGarrett was struggling to stay awake and didn't want to tire him.

"Not sure. Never saw the shooter."

"Who have you pissed off lately? I mean anyone we're not aware of? Should we be examining your Navy career as well?" Danny inquired.

Steve frowned as he tried to concentrate. He shook his head and blinked wearily.

"Don't know. It's possible."

"I had better go," Kamekona interrupted; eager to leave the small room. "I'll ho'olohe…..see what I can learn. You get better ….wikiwiki big Steve."

"Okay."

The large man wasted no time leaving the room and Danny stared at the others, clearly confused.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

"He'll listen; ho'olohe," Kono grinned and punched him lightly in the arm. "Don't tell me I have to explain wikiwiki too?"

"No….I know it means quickly," Danny groaned.

"You're learning brah," Chin chuckled and Steve grinned too.

"I had better check out if the crime scene guys are done checking out the ridge," Kono said stepping away from the bed. She looked at Danny and Chin, both men nodded.

"I'm going to talk to some of my sources, see what shakes loose. Kono, would you also check if there are any cameras in the recreational area's parking lot? I forgot to look and if there is we might get a license plate if we are lucky," Chin suggested, looking to Danny for confirmation.

"Sounds good. You both get things rolling and I will head back to HQ shortly," Danny agreed. "I'll update the Governor as well."

"Right," Chin responded. "Hey Steve, get some rest. We'll see you later."

"Yea Boss, rest," Kono said and the two cousins left the room.

Danny watched them go and then turned back to the man in the bed. It didn't take a medical degree to see the man was exhausted. Rubbing one hand over his face, Danny then reached down to grasp Steve's wrist.

"Hey partner, I'm going to the office but I'll be back later. If you think of anything that might help us, you have a nurse call me. Do….not….go all Super SEAL and try to leave this room. There are two officers outside this room and they will stop you. That is a promise, understand?" Danny instructed sternly.

In spite of the drugs and the over whelming tiredness, a wicked gleam appeared in Steve's eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said and paused. "Yet." Then he became serious. "Thanks for coming after me."

"No problem babe," Danny said with a shrug. "You would do the same for me. Not….that I would be out in the middle of nowhere just looking to get shot like some people we know." Steve grinned at him. "Now get some sleep and let the rest of us do our job. We'll find this coward that likes to shoot people in the back. At least in Jersey they usually confront you just before they shoot you."

"How very polite of them," Steve said dryly. He yawned and Danny could tell he was struggling to stay conscious. He squeezed Steve's wrist and smiled at his friend.

"I'll keep you in the loop partner. You listen to the doctors and nurses and behave."

McGarrett nodded and closed his eyes. Danny gave Steve's good shoulder a pat and left the room. He confronted the two cops who had found some chairs to sit on.

"No one and I mean no one who isn't approved gets into this room. You check the list against the ID and make sure the next shift knows who is allowed in. The hospital will give you the names of their staff that are approved to be in that room. I want to know if anyone tries to get past you. Call me or Chin Ho Kelly or Kono Kalakaua if you have any trouble. Is that understood?" Danny ordered and got nods of confirmation. "Good," Danny approved. "Someone wants Steve McGarrett dead and we are not letting it happen."

As Danny strode away he didn't look back and paid no attention to a man in work clothes bent over a cart of cleaning supplies. The non-descript man let his breath out slowly as the blonde detective stalked past him without a sideways glance. He bit his lower lip in frustration, knowing it would be difficult to access McGarrett's room now. Pushing his cart down the hall he knew his employer was not going to be happy with the news and he felt his stomach churn in fear. It was time to think of Plan C.

End chapter.

**Thanks for reading. I appreciate it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I do suspect that it does own me.**

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You do inspire me to keep writing.**

Chapter 9

Chin Ho Kelly paused in the lobby area of the hospital to make a phone call, letting Kono go on ahead of him. After arranging a meeting with a source, he headed for the door still looking down at the phone. Abruptly he bumped into another person and looking up in surprise, he found himself face to face with Dr. Malia Weston. His hands went out to steady her.

"I'm sorry ….Malia ….I…I wasn't watching where I was going," he stammered in surprise.

"Hello Chin. It's okay, no damage done," she said softly, stepping back. "What brings you to the hospital? Are you all right?" There was concern on her face as she looked him over; trying to assure herself that Chin was okay.

"I'm fine. We brought in our boss, Steve McGarrett to the hospital," Chin answered.

Sympathy shone in her eyes and she touched his arm lightly.

"I'm sorry. I hope it isn't serious. Will he be okay?" she asked him.

"Dr. Patten seems to think so."

"He's a good doctor Chin. If he thinks your boss will be okay then he will be," Malia said confidently.

"Steve is tough," Chin agreed. "I…..it was good to see you. But I do need to …..uh, I have to go...," he said awkwardly. "I, I mean we are trying to find out who hurt Steve."

"Of course, I need to start my shift," Malia said in understanding. She smiled tentatively. "I hope you find out who did it. Maybe I will see you later."

"I'd like that," Chin replied with a nod, his eyes warming at the thought. He smiled at her.

"Good," Malia said with a flush to her cheeks. She sighed slightly. "I will see you later then. Good luck with your manhunt."

"Later," Chin agreed and hurried out for his meeting.

*H 5-0*

Bart Maxwell locked the door of his cheap efficiency apartment and let out a frustrated breath. Life was not going the way he wanted and the pit in his stomach was getting deeper with every moment. Damn, he had underestimated Steve McGarrett's toughness. He should have finished him on the ridge but he had truly believed the man would never see the sunrise. And now getting to the 5-0 leader in the hospital looked all but impossible with the guards on the door.

He crossed the small room and grabbed a beer out of the compact refrigerator. Popping it open, he took a long swallow and dropped onto the hard couch. He needed to come up with another plan to eliminate McGarrett and quickly. His employer is not going to be happy.

As if reading his thoughts, his phone rang. Reluctantly he dug it out of his pocket and stared at it. His all ready upset stomach did a slow rollover.

"Hello."

"Mr. Maxwell, I believe you know why I'm calling," a cool voice with a slight accent spoke.

"Yes sire…I am sorry….I….," Bart stammered.

"I do not wish to hear any useless excuses," the voice snapped impatiently. "When I enter into a contract with someone I expect a successful conclusion. I will not tolerate a litany of useless reasons for your failure."

"I understand sir," Bart said quickly. "I promise I will complete the contract."

"There will be an adjustment to the agreed upon fee of course," his employer continued. "I do not pay full price for a bungled job. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Maxwell said quietly. He didn't like the arrangement but he was in no position to argue.

"Mr. Maxwell, I consider myself a patient and reasonable man but I will not wait forever for this contract to be fulfilled. The clock is ticking."

"But sir, he is in the hospital and is under guard. I cannot get to him in there. I have no connections here to get on the list of approved personal at the hospital. I can't get to him there," Bart said as his stomach rolled over again.

"I do not want to hear negatives, I want results," the voice said rising in anger. There was silence for a moment and then he spoke again. "If you cannot find a way to get to him in the hospital then I suggest you devise a plan for eliminating him once he is released. The task force will be hampered by McGarrett's absence for now. I will not accept a second failure Mr. Maxwell and I suggest you plan your next move carefully."

"I will not fail again," Bart promised with a hard swallow. He knew he should have never have accepted this assignment but the money had been too tempting. He was relieved he was given more time to complete the job.

"No, you will not fail again," the voice agreed, returning to its cool calmness again. "I want McGarrett dead. The Governor will not maintain this task force without him. I expect this to be taken care of Mr. Maxwell." The connection was broken abruptly and Bart found himself listening to dead air for a moment before shutting his own phone off.

His stomach was in a full blown revolt now and he reached for the beer that was all ready beginning to grow warm. He knew his employer was very serious and he dared not fail again. The 5-0 task force was an obstacle to his employer's plans for operating in the islands and the man believed that removing the leader of the team would result in the group being disbanded. After listening to Danny Williams at the hospital, Bart was not sure that would happen but he was not going to mention that to his boss.

*H 5-0*

Danny sat back in his chair in his office and rubbed his temples. Chin was still out checking his sources and Kono was busy over at HPD going over whatever evidence that the crime scene unit found. Danny suspected that she was also enjoying a visit with Charlie Fong but he wasn't going to begrudge her the time. Kono would never blow off her responsibilities and Danny understood blending a little fun with work.

His land line rang and he saw an unfamiliar number with name C Rollins on the caller ID. His tired mind did not make the connection as he reached for the phone.

"Williams."

"Detective Williams, this is Lt. Catherine Rollins," a concerned woman's voice announced. "I don't know if Steve has mentioned me…."

"He has," Danny said as he smiled to himself. The name clicked now.

"I've learned that Steve has had an accident. Could you please tell me if he's okay? The hospital will not release information on him." Her voice had a worried quiver in it.

Danny didn't ask her how she knew about Steve's shooting. They had not been able to keep Steve's hospitalization from the press and the woman did work in Naval Intelligence. For all he knew, Catherine might monitor Steve's moves. The thought of the woman keeping tabs on Super SEAL tickled Danny's imagination.

"He will be fine Lt. Rollins. He was shot but it was in the shoulder and he will be okay. He broke his leg in a fall but the doctor assures us that he should heal just fine," Danny told her. He could hear the relieved sigh on the other end.

"Thank you Detective Williams. I appreciate the information. Would you please tell Steve that I'm worried and that I'll see him as soon as I return to port?"

"Of course Lieutenant," Danny answered.

"Please, call me Catherine. I look forward to meeting you," she responded.

"All right Catherine, I'm Danny and I can't wait to meet you," he grinned. "I will tell Steve."

"Thank you Danny," Catherine said and hung up.

Danny's grin got wider as he hung up the phone. He looked forward to delivering this message to "Mr. I don't talk about my love life".

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. I will be back with more after the long weekend.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Writing about it might be the only way to get through the summer.**

**Thank you all for your patience while I worked to get this chapter out. Real life does sometimes like to wreak havoc with my playtime.**

Chapter 10

The sound of closing doors and hurried footsteps announced the arrival of Jenna Kaye before Danny could see her. The CIA analyst knocked on his door and pulled it open before he could respond and entered the room with wide, concerned eyes.

"I came as soon as I got your message. I'm sorry my phone battery died and I just got it charged and got your message. Danny what happened to Steve?" Jenna bombarded him with questions breathlessly.

"Whoa…..slow down Kaye," Danny responded, holding up his hands in protest. "Take a seat and I will fill you in." He motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him and Jenna dropped into it obediently. "Steve was shot yesterday while on a run on Wa'ahila Ridge. Chin and I went looking for him when he missed his fishing date with Chin this morning. He broke his leg in the fall and is fighting off an infection but his doctor is confident he will recover completely. The two bullet wounds turned out to not be serious. I need to know if Wo Fat might be behind this hit. We do not believe that this was a random shooting and so we need to know if this was a hired hit and who is behind it," he said bringing her up to date.

Jenna's brow furrowed as she considered the information and questions Danny had posed.

"Where was Steve shot? What part of him?" she asked, trying to get a clearer picture.

"He was hit in the right shoulder although Steve said he had moved just before the bullet hit or it would have struck him in the back with deadly results. The second shot hit his cell and the third creased his temple. It sent him off the trail and down the incline, breaking his leg. Steve has no idea why the shooter didn't finish him off while he lay unconscious," Danny informed her.

Kaye sat still, considering this new round of information Danny had supplied.

"Well it certainly wasn't Wo Fat personally who shot Steve," she finally replied. "He would have made sure he finished the job. It is also not like him to hire someone who did not follow through and confirm the kill. This sounds too amateur to be Wo Fat. He is meticulous about details and leaving Steve alive would not be acceptable," she added.

"I thought that but wanted to confirm that with you. You are the Wo Fat expert," Danny said, noting the flush of pleasure that crept up into Jenna's cheeks at his words. "Steve has no idea who might be after him. I'm positive that whoever wants him dead is not done trying."

"You are probably right," Jenna agreed. "So who else might want Steve dead if not Wo Fat?"

"The list is likely long and varied," Danny sighed. "Super SEAL has a way of angering many people with his heavy handed tactics."

"He does tend to not take no for an answer," Jenna agreed with a small smile. "Do you want me to check on any additional info we might have on Wo Fat's whereabouts? Maybe we have some new Intel."

"Go ahead but I think your assessment of him is right. This is too clumsy and "in your face" to be Wo Fat. I'm hoping Chin or Kamekona will shake something loose," Danny told her.

"Do you really think that big Shaved Ice guy has information that might help?" Kaye asked doubtfully.

"You'd be surprised what the big guy knows. I figure he may be our best hope for a lead," Williams said with a tight smile.

Jenna nodded, trusting Danny's opinion of the big Hawaiian. The sound of Kono and Chin arriving in the outer room brought Danny and Jenna out of his office, joining them at the smart table.

"Not much was found out on the ridge," Kono reported first. "Our shooter was tidy and he cleaned up after himself. No shell casings or anything like that but they did find a footprint. They made a casting of a size 10 boot print. The tread imprint is a style common to boots that can be purchased in any good sporting goods store her in the islands or on the mainland," she added in disappointment.

"I don't have a lot either," Chin said in frustration as well. "There are rumors of several groups trying to grab a piece of the drug market Ochoa's death left open. But I don't have any names yet."

"Well it sounds like we need Kamekona's pipeline more than ever," Danny said sounding as frustrated as both Kono and Chin. "I had better go brief Steve before he tries to check himself out of the hospital to investigate on his own. Maybe he will have some ideas. Jenna, are you able to access Steve's Navy records and see if this could be his past coming back to bite him?"

"I can try," Jenna answered quickly. "Many of his SEAL missions are likely to be classified and I am not sure I will be able to get much."

"Do what you can, maybe the Governor will be able to pull some strings if we ask," Danny commented.

"I'm not sure that even the Governor can get the Navy to release that information," Chin said doubtfully.

"Well…we can try," Danny told him, then grinned. "Maybe Catherine can shed some light on Steve's past."

"Catherine?" Kono questioned, not making the connection immediately.

"Catherine Rollins…Steve's ….uh…..Navy lady," Danny said fumbling for the best way to describe her. "Somehow she learned that Steve was in the hospital and called."

"Well she is Naval Intelligence Danny," Kono laughed. "But you are right; she might know more about his past assignments."

"Kono, can you set up another cell phone for Steve? Maybe you can pull his contacts from the damaged one."

"Sure. He has them backed up on his computer," Kono said quickly. "Any personal ones not there he can add on his own. I'll see to it," she added and hurried off to take care of it.

"Chin, go find Kamekona and see if he has learned anything and if not, push him. We need some names, are there any new shooters on the island, someone has to know something," Danny growled as he fired off suggestions. "We know this isn't finished with one attempt. This can't be that well kept a secret. Somewhere there is someone who can give us answers."

"I'll check in with Kamekona," Chin nodded, understanding what was driving Danny's anger.

"I'll go see what the Navy will tell me," Jenna added, eager to leave the building tension in the room. She hurried off.

"I think you're scaring the newbie," Chin chuckled.

Danny grinned slightly.

"She'll have to learn to deal because I don't see this changing much until we nail this guy. We can't keep Steve under guard in the hospital forever. Once they release him, he is going to be hampered with a broken leg, protecting him will be tricky," the blonde man grumbled.

"Having him out may help smoke the shooter out. We can control where the guy comes after Steve," Chin suggested.

Danny did nod in agreement. As much as he hated it, Chin might have the best solution if they didn't catch a break soon. The thought of making McGarrett's home a target once again did not sit well with Danny.

"I'll bring it up with Steve but let's hope that we find a lead before the doctor releases him. I'd really rather not add more bullet holes to Steve's house. Let's wrap this up before it comes to that," Danny said seriously.

"Amen bruddah," Chin agreed as they left the office.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. It is necessary to do some scene setting before we can catch this guy.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I wonder if they will let me rent it for the summer?**

**Thank you everyone who has read my story. And many thanks to those who have reviewed it; you are the ones that keep me inspired.**

Chapter 11

Danny stopped at Steve's door and checked in with the new shift of HPD officers. It eased his mind to know that no unauthorized personal had tried to enter Steve's room during the day. He reached for the doorknob and almost collided with a pretty, young nurse's aide who almost dissolved in a fit of giggles when confronted with the detective.

"Sorry," she murmured as Danny stepped to one side to let her pass. She looked back over her shoulder at Steve,sighed and then grinned up at Danny before hurrying out of the room. Shaking his head, Danny entered the room, pleased to see that Steve was awake.

"Well, look who's rejoined the world of the living," Danny grinned. "Just what did you do to that little nurse's aide to get her so flustered?" He strode over to Steve's bedside. Steve was sitting more upright, his color was back to normal and he was definitely more alert.

"I don't think she is accustomed to taking care of someone who has cops stationed outside the door," Steve answered. "I think I make her nervous."

"Are you kidding me? Are you so blind that you can't tell when a cute young thing has the hots for you? Please tell me you are not that dense," Danny groaned.

A small smirk crossed Steve's lips but he shrugged his good shoulder.

"I've got a bum shoulder and a broken leg…..I hardly think that makes me attractive to young women," he replied.

"You do realize that some women are very attracted to injured men, it's why some of them go into nursing. I happen to have very fond memories of a little candy striper that I met fresh out of the academy. It was before Rachel and I lost an argument with a bank robber's getaway car and that sweet thing was very attentive," Danny informed him. "Trust me; broken limbs can be a big turn on for some women." He grinned broadly at Steve.

McGarrett chuckled and leaned back against the pillows.

"Okay, I trust your expertise. How goes the hunt for my shooter?" Steve inquired.

"No leads yet. Chin is going to check with Kamekona. The big fellow might be our best source of information. There is word that there are several new players that want to fill the void Ochoa's death opened up. Kaye is trying to check with the Navy on any old grudges that your activities may have stirred up…but we figure they won't cooperate much. Kono says the crime scene unit didn't find much on the ridge, just a boot print," Danny reported bringing Steve up to speed. Then his eyes lit up. "I do however have a very important message to pass on."

Steve frowned at him curiously and his frown deepened as Danny remained silent, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"And…." Steve prompted.

"And….I'm to tell you that Catherine is very, very worried about you and she will see you as soon as she makes port," the Jersey native related, pressing his palms together and bowing slightly. His eyes gleamed in delight. "It seems she is keeping tabs on you, Romeo."

"Catherine called?" Steve asked sitting up straighter. Pleasure shone in his eyes at the news.

"Hey, I get that she is Navy Intelligence and all, but how did she know you're in the hospital when she's out at sea?" Danny enquired.

Steve motioned to the TV that was mounted on the wall across the room, playing with the sound off. One of the local channels was running a news feed across the bottom of the screen.

"Cath gets the local news updates on her smart phone. She's a news junkie, loves CNN. It seems I have become headline news, at least here in the islands," he answered.

"Well, that ruins my vision of you having a stalker girlfriend," Danny sighed. "By the way, she says she's looking forward to meeting me." He grinned broadly.

"Catherine told you that?"

"She certainly did, right after she asked me to call her Catherine," he said smugly. "Maybe we should get together for drinks next time she's in town."

Steve was silent for a moment, debating whether Danny meeting Catherine was a good idea.

"Maybe," he finally acknowledged.

"What does the doctor say about how long you get to lie around here?" Danny asked, changing the subject.

"Dr. Patten says the fever is coming down. When they are sure the infection is gone, I will begin serious rehab on my shoulder so I can handle crutches. Then I can get out of here," Steve told him.

"Then we had better find out who did this ASAP," Danny muttered.

"You figure that whoever set this up will try again, don't you?" Steve said bluntly. "They'll come again once I'm out of here, right?"

"Yea…..yea, I'm pretty sure they will. And I really hate the idea of your house becoming a war zone again," Danny said seriously.

"If it brings these people to us, then that's what we do," Steve stated quietly. "It's the best way to smoke them out."

Danny could see the resignation in Steve's eyes. Of course McGarrett would offer up his home to lure the assassin in. He wasn't happy about it but Danny could see that Steve wouldn't hesitate to make himself and his home a target. The knowledge left a bitter taste in Danny's mouth.

"Well…..we're going to solve this before they release you. Just relax and hope that the rehab therapist you get is as cute as that nurse's aide and not some big bald gorilla," Danny chuckled.

"I've all ready met Ms Kalea Onakea and I assure you she is no gorilla," Steve grinned. "She is going to be one tough taskmaster though so that should make you happy. My boot camp sergeant wasn't that tough, she came in and evaluated me, did some simple therapy all ready."

"All ready?" Danny said in surprise.

"They don't waste time," Steve confirmed.

The door to the room opened and Kono entered with a smile on her face.

"Hey Boss, you're looking better," she said cheerfully.

"Hi Kono, I'm feeling better," Steve responded.

"I brought you a present," she added, producing a new IPhone and handing it to Steve. "I've loaded it with your contacts from your computer back up."

"Thank you Kono, I am glad to have this," McGarrett said. "Now I feel complete. So, not much could be learned at the crime scene, huh?"

"Nope, very little," Kono answered. "Charlie is personally going over the slug they dug out of your shoulder."

"Good to know," Steve said with a twinkle in his eye. "Are you going to volunteer for more lab duty now?"

Kono blushed and shook her head.

"I like where I am Steve."

"But we know who to send to the lab when we want speedy results," Danny teased.

The laughter felt good, Steve reflected. He liked how this team was working together and the fact they were really becoming ohana.

End chapter.

**Thanks for reading. I appreciate the feedback.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Do you think they will notice that I am playing with it this summer?**

**Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. Your feedback does make it much more fun to write.**

Chapter 12

Chin Ho Kelly walked up to the Waiola Shave Ice shop and waved to Kamekona. The big Hawaiian hustled out of the building and motioned with his head towards a secluded table. Chin followed him over and took a seat opposite the man. It did not take a detective to see how uncomfortable the man was; he looked ready to jump out of his skin.

"Tell me you have a lead my friend," Chin began. "I've been coming up empty and I need your help. What do you know about people trying to muscle in to Ochoa's territory?"

"Word is out there are a couple groups looking to fill his shoes," Kamekona said hesitantly.

"Come on big guy, you know more than that," Chin probed. "This is Steve's life we're talking about. Tell me what you know."

Kamekona shrugged as his eyes darted around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. He looked back at Chin.

"Okay bruddah…..this is what the talk is," he said dropping his voice to just above a whisper. "There is one group that they say is the front runners for Ochoa's territory. Two brothers, Columbians, they got themselves a legit business here. The talk is that these bruddahs are lolo, bad news. They want 5-0 out of the way. They was the ones who brought a shooter in from the mainland."

"Who are they? Give me a name," Chin pressed on.

"Alverez, the Alverez brothers, they have some high tone shop downtown." The large man looked very uncomfortable. He fidgeted on the bench, his eyes constantly shifting, checking the people around them. "They are really bad news my hoaloha, dangerous."

"Thanks Kamekona, you've been a big help," Chin responded. "You didn't learn the name of the shooter did you?"

"No, no one said and I don't ask. I want to stay ola, you know what I mean?"

Chin nodded, being an informant could be dangerous for Kamekona and Chin wanted the big man to stay ola; healthy. Having the name Alverez was a good starting point, they could work with that. Once they had the Alverez brothers they would get the shooter's name.

"Thanks for the lead," Chin told him.

"I want to help. 5-0 are the good guys," Kamekona said quietly. Chin got to his feet.

"We appreciate the help brah, we'll try to keep you out of it," he promised.

Kamekona nodded and visibly relaxed. He did think of the 5-0 group as friends but he knew the risks of passing on information to the task force. At the very least his sources would stop talking to him and at the worst he could find that someone would want retribution for the information he supplied. He was glad to see that no one appeared interested in his talk with Chin Ho.

*H 5-0*

Arriving at Steve's hospital room, Chin entered the room, ignoring the stony stares of the two officers on duty. He was used to the negative reactions of the HPD and it was a relief to go inside the room and see Kono and Danny were still there.

"Did Kamekona have any news?" Danny asked quickly.

"He gave me a name, Alverez. It's seems two brothers from Columbia have set up shop on the island. They run a specialty coffee, tea and other items shop as their cover. Word is they brought a shooter in to take out 5-0. I guess you were first on their hit list Steve," Chin related what he had learned from Kamekona and the quick Bing search he had done on the drive over.

Steve nodded thoughtfully, considering the information.

"Looks like you have a starting place," he told the others. "Find out everything you can about them and make sure you can nail them cold before you go in for the arrest. We don't want them walking on a technicality."

"Now he's by the book," Danny groaned. "Don't worry Steven, we can handle it. And we'll get the shooter's name." There was a hard edge to his voice as he made that promise.

"Good," Steve agreed. "I just hate being stuck here, not able to help. Kamekona didn't know the gunman's name….no idea?"

"Kamekona didn't know it," Chin confirmed. "He's spooked by these guys, says they are lolo."

"He gave us enough," Steve answered. "We know how to smoke this guy out if we need to."

The other three exchanged looks, not happy with the idea of using Steve as bait.

"We'll get him before that is necessary," Kono said quickly.

"Got to love the rookie's optimism," Danny chuckled but he really hoped she was right.

"I'm sure you will do your best," Steve acknowledged. He trusted his team but hated being confined to the hospital. The ache in his shoulder and the heavy cast on his leg did drive home the realization that he would not be very effective in the field. A glance at the phone Kono had supplied him with reminded him of another matter that needed attention.

"Well we need to start digging," Danny announced, noticing where Steve's attention had centered. "You rest big guy and don't give that therapist any trouble." He headed to the door with Chin and Kono.

"See ya Steve."

"Bye Boss."

Danny paused as the other two left the room before him.

"Give Catherine my best," he grinned.

"Go do your job Danno," Steve snorted and motioned for Danny to leave with his good hand. Danny left laughing to himself.

Steve picked up the phone and found the number he wanted. Activating it, he waited not sure if it would go to voice mail or not.

"Well hello sailor," a rich, warm voce answered.

"Cath, I understand you've been keeping tabs on me," Steve teased, happy to hear her voice.

"You know me and my news addiction. I certainly didn't like finding your name on my news feed." There was a pause and then she continued. "How are you Steve?"

"I'm okay. The leg will take time to heal but everything else is minor," he said downplaying his injuries.

"And if it was serious you still wouldn't tell me," she scolded softly.

"Honest Cath…..I'm fine," Steve protested.

"You were shot Steve! Detective…uh Danny said you were shot."

"A minor wound. I've been hurt worse before."

"That does not make it any easier to hear," Catherine said firmly. "Tell me you are being careful, clearly someone is after you."

"I am in protective custody," Steve assured her. "I have a good team. He hesitated before asking his next question. "Catherine…did you suggest getting together with Danny?"

"Oh Commander, are you nervous with the thought of me meeting your partner?" she asked, her laughter rippling out of the phone.

"You have no idea just how much," Steve sighed, a smile on his lips.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. I get such a thrill out of hearing from you. Tell me what you think.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But this will get me through the summer until the fall season.**

**Thank you for still being here and reading. I do not have the time to post quickly but I am thrilled by your support.**

Chapter 13

"You aren't ashamed of me….of us, are you?" Catherine asked, a little hesitation creeping into her voice.

"No way sweetheart," Steve quickly protested. "I only want to spare you the grilling that I'm sure Danny will have prepared."

"Hey sailor…..since when have you found me unable to handle a nosey male?" she enquired with a dry chuckle.

"Forgive me, you are right Cath. Danny is no match for you," Steve said, his own chuckle joining hers. "When will you be back?"

"Two weeks."

"I will see you then," Steve replied warmly.

"It's a date Commander," Catherine promised. "Take care Steve."

"You too Beautiful," Steve said and then the connection was broken. He lay back against the pillows…smiling.

*H 5-0*

B art Maxwell settled down at a table near the wall in Kekahuna's Bar and Grill with a thick novel. He kept his baseball cap pulled lower on his forehead and ordered a burger and soda. The short visit he had made to the hospital had informed him that this establishment was popular with the staff. Bart figured that with some patience he would glean the information he needed on Steve McGarrett. Pretending to be engrossed in his book, he was pleased that three nurse's aides took over the table behind him.

After placing their orders, the three young women turned their conversation to hospital gossip. Susan, a tall blonde, looked at her two companions with a conspiratorial gleam in her eye.

"Okay….someone spill….I've been stuck in the birthing center all day and I'm out of touch. What's the big news?"

"No big doings in Pediatrics," Taralyn, a pretty, plump brunette sighed. "Nani is the one with the exciting duty." She focused on the petite Hawaiian sitting opposite her. "Is that guy some type of criminal with police guards on the door? What did he do? Is he scary?" she peppered the girl with questions.

Nani giggled and shook her head. She had been dying to share the information with her two closest friends. As far as she was concerned, it was okay since all of them worked at the hospital.

"No…he's not a criminal," she confided. "He's in protective custody." She glanced around the room to see if anyone was paying attention; it was easy to ignore the man reading a book at the table behind her. She leaned closer to her friends but didn't lower her voice. "He's Steve McGarrett, the head of the 5-0 task force. Someone tried to kill him."

"You have all the luck," Susan groused.

"So you're taking care of some old, police type guy?" Taralyn said in disappointment. She rarely watched the news and had no idea what 5-0 was.

"Tara honey, he's not that old," Nani grinned. "Mid-thirties and believe me, he's gorgeous. They say he is a former SEAL."

Susan let out a low whistle.

"Oh I've seen pictures of him. When they rescued those college kids. Totally hot," she said. "How hurt is he?"

"He was shot in the shoulder and has a broken leg. I was so nervous when I first went to his room. They had to check my ID against a list. But it turns out that Steve is really nice and he has a cute partner too," Nani told them.

"You really are disgustingly lucky," Susan sighed. "How long will he be in the hospital?"

"I'm not sure. They are kind of hush hush about him. Kalea has all ready been in to work with him. I imagine he won't be there long," Nani said glumly.

"You had better work quickly then," Taralyn laughed. "I hate that I'm stuck in Pedo, nothing ever happens there."

"Well he is nice but I don't think he noticed me like that," Nani admitted. "So to change the subject…Susan, did you get to work with Dr. Wagner today?"

As the conversation turned to the very eligible OB/GYN doctor that Susan had her sights on, Bart took a bite from his burger. From the way the wait staff here at the bar and grill spoke to the girls, he knew they were regulars there. He figured as long as McGarrett was in the hospital, he had a perfect way to follow the task force leader's progress and he would know when the man would be released.

Now he just needed to further explore the conditions around McGarrett's home and plan how he would take the man out once he was released from the hospital. Maxwell's own military background gave him several ideas on how to deal with the security at the house but he acknowledged that a closer look would be useful. He knew that McGarrett's broken leg would slow the former SEAL down but Bart also knew that there would likely be someone staying with him. The task force would not let their leader go home unprotected, given that one attempt had been made on his life. Bart began to consider the fact that a diversion for the Hawaii 5-0 task force would give him a greater chance of success. This was something to carefully consider. It brought him great satisfaction when he heard the three girls agree to meet there the next evening after their shifts ended. Things were falling into place nicely.

*H 5-0*

Danny hung up the phone and tiredly tried to rub the stress out of his eyes. A massive headache was building in his skull after playing politics with various departments of the Honolulu Police Department. He had just gotten off the phone with the drug unit, who were completely unwilling to share any information on the Alverez brothers at first. Finally Captain Akana relented when Danny finally threatened to call the Governor and get her involved. The Jersey native was beginning to understand the charge in first and ask permission, second attitude of Steve McGarrett. Sometimes playing within the rules was just too frustrating. It turns out that the Alverez brothers were flying under HPD's radar and the department was not very much help. His next call would be to the state police's drug unit.

Jenna Kaye came knocking on the door and entered at his invitation. She had spent the last several hours touching base with several of her contacts to learn what she could about the brothers and their background in Columbia. She was doing deeper background while Chin and Kono were each taking a brother and seeing what their contacts could find.

"My contacts in Washington and Columbia all tell me that Bernard and Javier Alverez moved from Columbia to the US to go to college. They both attended Ivy League schools; Bernardo went to Harvard and Javier graduated from Brown. After graduation they returned to Columbia for several years before they came to Honolulu seven months ago. Since they have come here they have opened B & J's Refined Palate; a specialty coffee, tea and wine gift shop. Very high end, exclusive clientele….." she trailed off as Danny came to attention as she spoke.

"B & J's….damn….Rachel gets her tea there," Danny swore as he remembered the parcel bags he had seen when picking up Grace. A sick feeling settled in his stomach at the thought of his ex-wife going anywhere near a couple of killer drug runners. It did not help that he remembered that the shop was located in one of Stan's buildings.

"I'm sure she's not in any danger," Jenna said in an attempt to ease his distress.

"Maybe not but I hate how this continues to become more personal," he said wearily.

End chapter.

**So here we are….getting to know some of the players. Thank you for reading and I appreciate your reviews. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am glad they let us borrow it for fanfiction.**

**Well readers…..shall we take a closer look at our bad guys? Time to learn more about the enemy.**

Chapter 14

Chin stuck his head into Danny's office a few moments later.

"Ready for a closer look at our suspects?" he asked Danny and Jenna. They got up and followed him out to the smart table where Kono waited. The cousins had been doing the deeper background checks on the Alverez brothers.

"So, have we got a good reason to believe these two are drug runners?" Danny asked point blank.

"It doesn't look like it on the surface," Kono replied. She touched the table and with a graceful sweep of her arm, sent a photo of a man to the overhead screen. The head shot was of a dark haired man with a predatory look in his dark eyes. "Meet Bernardo Alverez, born Sept. 25, 1970 in Bogota Colombia. His father Roberto was a successful lawyer and his mother Constance came from a wealthy coffee family. Bernardo came to the US in 1988 to attend Harvard and he stayed after his undergraduate studies to attend Harvard Law. After graduation and passing the bar, he was hired by the firm of Drengler and Hoskins where he practiced corporate law for two years. Then he suddenly gave notice and left the firm to return to Colombia, citing family matters as a reason. But at the time he left, his parents had both been dead for three years."

Chin went next as he repeated Kono's gesture and added a second head shot next to Bernardo. A younger, more handsome man's smiling face looked back at them. Javier appeared more open and relaxed than Bernardo.

"Javier was born on June 12, 1973. He followed his brother and came to the US for his college education as well. He chose an Ivy League school also, attending Brown University in 1991 and graduated with a business degree four years later. Unlike Bernardo, Javier returned to Colombia immediately after graduation and went to work for his grandparents, handling the business end of their coffee business. Just over six months ago he and Bernardo came to Oahu and opened B & J's Refined Palate; specialty coffees, teas and wines," Chin recited, bringing everyone up to speed.

"They look very legit on the surface but presently Bernardo is in Colombia, supposedly on a buying trip," Kono added. "However, he spent some time visiting a cousin who happens to be suspected by the Feds of running the fourth largest cocaine cartel in Colombia."

"Santos Arantes," Jenna put in, her eyes wide and nodding in confirmation.

"Correct," Kono confirmed. "Did you get that information too?"

"One of my sources hinted that there might be a connection, but wouldn't confirm it. If he's really their cousin then they have some heavy duty clout behind them," Jenna said seriously.

"And two jokers like this show up in Hawaii and set up a business that imports products from all over the world and we are supposed to think they are clean? Just how convenient a cover is this?" Danny snorted. "Do we have anything that shows that cocaine is one of the items they are bringing into Hawaii?"

"Not at the moment," Chin admitted. "But we have only started digging."

"We need time to make the connections Danny. These two are smart and they know how to cover what they are doing," Kono pointed out.

"Time is the one thing we don't have a lot of. Under normal circumstances we would have time to make an airtight case but if Kamekona is right, these guys want Steve dead now," Danny answered grimly. "The hospital won't keep him there forever and we still don't have the shooter's name."

"We hear you brah…but you know what Steve said, this has to be a solid arrest. He won't be safe anyway if the case gets tossed because we didn't connect all the dots. It takes time or luck to make a solid drug arrest," Chin argued.

"Excuse me for asking but why are they so sure that killing Steve will disband 5-0?" Jenna broke in. "That's rather short sighted isn't it? There are still the three of you." She scanned the faces of the three people she had come to respect in a short period of time. There was no doubt in her mind that they would carry on in Steve's absence and do their job well.

"Oh yea, the three of us…..a haole from Jersey, a rookie cop and a disgraced, possibly crooked cop," Chin said grimly. "The Governor is not likely to keep 5-0 intact without Steve. We all know he's the reason she formed this task force in the first place."

"Well then she is the short sighted one," Jenna commented. "Steve is good but he doesn't do it alone." Jenna had great respect for McGarrett's abilities but knew he relied on the others to make 5-0 work.

"Thanks for the support Jenna but Chin is right. We are good at what we do but Steve is the reason that Jameson set up this task force. I do not think that she would keep it together if something happens to Steve," Danny stated as the other two nodded. "So….it behooves us to keep the man alive."

"So do we put him in a safe house under protective custody until we nail these guys?" Jenna asked curiously.

The other three exchanged amused looks and Danny favored the CIA analyst with a level stare.

"Kaye, this is McGarrett we are talking about. How do you suggest we get Super SEAL to agree to hiding in a safe house?" he asked.

Jenna opened her mouth and then snapped it shut without saying a word. She smiled slightly in embarrassment. Taking a moment to think, she knew that Steve McGarrett would not go into hiding, it was not in the man's nature.

"Well if that is the case, then we are not letting the boss stay at his place alone, are we?" Kono spoke up determinedly. "We are putting some type of protection detail on him, right?"

"Of course we will," Danny said quickly, wanting to reassure Kono. "Like it or not, Superman does not go solo. He will have house guests. That leg of his will slow him down and make him vulnerable and if babysitting him will keep him safe, then that's what we do."

"I can't wait to see how Steve reacts to this if you actually use those terms to describe it to him," Chin chuckled.

"There are some things in life that Steven McGarrett does not get to make the call on," Danny said, gesturing sharply with his hands. "This is one of those things. We will protect him whether he likes it or not."

"I am willing to let you be the one to break it to him," Chin replied. Kono and Jenna laughed at the determined look that crossed Danny's face. It was clear that the Jersey native was not going to back down on this subject.

"My money's on Danny," Kono told her cousin.

"I think that I should see if I can get more on Santos Arantes. Perhaps some of my contacts can tell me if he is shipping his product to a new outlet," Jenna suggested quickly. "Maybe we can make that connection to the brothers and lock this up."

"Good," Danny approved. "I have a call in to the State Police's drug unit. Captain Hoapili was out of the office but they said he will get back to me as soon as possible. Chin, can you nudge Shave Ice a bit and see if he can give us a name of someone who might be dealing with these guys? Kono, dig into the employee records and financials of this "legit" business. Maybe we can catch a break and find someone who knows more than they let on. A list of where they import from might help too if we can get it," he instructed.

"I will give it a try," Kono agreed and headed back to her office. Jenna went back to the space Steve had set up for her to work in. Chin looked at Danny, his expression doubtful.

"I'll see if I can "nudge" Kamekona as you suggest but be aware that the big guy is scared," he told Danny.

"I understand but we need any advantage we can get. Tell him we will protect him as best we can but that this is not just about busting a drug runner….it's Steve's life," Danny said firmly.

"I will do my best," Chin promised and left.

End chapter.

**Thanks for reading. Now it is time for them to chase down some leads. Hope you stay with me.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I wish I did, I wish I did, I wish I did…..**

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I do love your feedback.**

Chapter 15

Danny went back to his office, pulling out his cell phone as he shut the door. He quickly found the contact number he wanted and pressed it, waiting impatiently for it to be answered.

"Hello Danny," Rachel's softly accented voice answered.

"Rachel, I want you to stay away from B & J's Refined Palate from now on," he said curtly. All his pent up concern burst out without thinking.

"What?" Rachel reacted instantly to the unexpected order. "You do not tell me where I can shop." Her irritation was clear in her voice.

"Listen to me Rach, I don't have positive proof but we suspect that shop is a front for drug dealers. I do not want you or Grace anywhere near that place," Danny said urgently, trying to explain it to her.

"Are you sure you aren't over reacting?" she said skeptically. "It is only a tea and coffee shop Danny. Not every store harbors bad guys"

"Trust me Rachel, would I tell you this if I didn't have a good reason? I believe the owners of the shop are behind the attempt on Steve's life," he said slowly….trying to make her understand fully.

There was a long pause on the other end and he heard a small sigh escape his ex-wife.

"I did hear about Steve, I am so sorry. I should have asked how he is," Rachel finally said. Danny knew that Rachel liked his partner; somehow she had been charmed by the ex-SEAL's manners.

"He'll recover, he's okay," Danny assured her. "But that is why I need you to promise me you will stay away from that store. Please Rachel," he pleaded, not caring how she interpreted his words.

"All right Daniel, I won't go there," Rachel promised, pleased with the caring she heard in his voice. She could tell this was not just about Grace and it surprised her how good it made her feel.

"Good…good," Danny said dragging his fingers back through his hair. "I don't want you or Grace in contact with these slime balls in any way."

"Daniel….please be careful," Rachel found herself speaking without thinking.

"I will. Give Gracie a hug from me and tell her Danno loves her."

"I always do," Rachel assured him. "Danny, would you please give Steve my best?"

"Sure….uh, Rachel, please let me tell Grace about her Uncle Steve? I'll stop by tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course Danny, stop by anytime. Stan is out of town again," she replied.

"Thank you Rachel…..thank you," Danny said and broke the connection. Moments later his office phone rang, indicating that Captain Hoapili was finally calling back. After talking to the man he hung up, sent Kono and Jenna home and then left the office himself.

*H 5-0*

Steve McGarrett's Monday was not as difficult as his Sunday. Dr. Patten stopped in and announced that the fever was down and disconnected Steve from all his IVs and monitors. After warning the physical therapist that she should not tear out Steve's shoulder stitches, he released McGarrett to Kalea Onakea's expert care. She came in and worked for fifteen minutes with Steve, determining how strong he was. She left very impressed with her patient's physical condition and willingness to push himself.

"I just wish all my patients were Navy SEALs, "she told the group at the nurse's station. "My job would be so easy if they were all like Steve. WE will have him up on crutches and out of here in no time."

"Darn," Nani sighed from her spot away from the group. She hated the thought of the handsome task force leader leaving the hospital so soon. Why did all the special patients get better so quickly?

Kalea smiled sympathetically at the young nurse's aide.

"I understand Nani, he is a special one. Don't worry, we don't have him on his feet just yet," she comforted, recognizing the young girl's crush on her patient.

*H 5-0*

Danny barged into Steve's room carrying a file folder and sporting a confident smile. He dropped the folder on Steve's tray table and folded his arms over his chest.

"What's this?" Steve asked as he reached for the file.

"Take a closer look at the Alverez brothers. It appears they have links to a Colombian drug cartel and they have all ready established a legitimate business here in Honolulu. Of course this is only speculation at the moment but the word is out that if you are dead, so is 5-0," Danny declared as Steve looked over the contents of the file.

"Is Jenna checking the Columbian connection?" Steve asked looking up. He totally ignored the comment about his being a target.

"She is and Kono is checking anyone connected to the coffee shop. Chin is trying to follow some of the leads that Kamekona has provided and I had a pleasant chat with a Captain Hoapili last night. The State Police have heard rumors about the brothers for the last month and a half but so far have nothing solid to go on. I paid the shop a visit this morning but only ended up with an overpriced bag of coffee, sold to me by a lovely older woman I would never accuse of dealing drugs. I am putting the cost of the coffee on my expense account by the way," Danny told him firmly. "And…did you get the part where I said you are still the target of an assassin?"

"Yes Danny, I heard you," Steve said patiently. "Getting rid of me will not keep 5-0 from taking them down."

"So…..have you discussed that with the Governor?" Danny demanded as he grabbed a chair and sat down. "Will 5-0 continue if these guys get their wish?" He cocked his head to one side and stared at Steve.

"She hasn't said anything to me about 5-0 being contingent on me being alive," Steve said slowly.

"Come on Steven, you know you are the reason this task force exists. The rest of us all know that Jameson will disband it if something happens to you. So as it stands, when this place springs you…..you gain three bodyguards until we nail these two thugs," he finished emphatically.

The corner of Steve's mouth quirked upward at that remark.

"You three decided that, did you?" he said mildly.

"Yes we did. As long as you have that anchor on your leg you will not be staying alone. You might as well get used to the idea cause this is not open for discussion," Danny informed him, hand gestures punctuating his words.

Again Steve lips smirked, amusement lit his eyes as he nodded slightly.

"And who is the leader of this task force?" he enquired.

"When you are no longer the target of a would be assassin, you are. Until then, as your partner, I am taking the lead on this case," Danny said determinedly. He glared at Steve as if daring him to argue.

"Okay Danno," Steve agreed with a small chuckle. "If you feel I need bodyguards then I'll go along with it." A very wicked gleam appeared in his eyes. "And….is Kono taking the night shift?"

There was a painfully long pause as Danny's mouth dropped open and Steve finally had to laugh loudly.

"You sure walked into that one brah," he pointed out in delight.

"I am so telling Catherine you said that," Danny growled in annoyance with himself for believing for one moment that McGarrett might be serious.

"I guess there is one good reason to keep you two from ever meeting," Steve informed his partner with another smirk.

End chapter.

**Man….it is such fun to mess with Danny…..he walks right into it. LOL I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. People much more talented than I are in charge of this show….I just play with it.**

**Well let's see if we can get Steve up on his feet shall we?**

Chapter 16

Danny gave Steve a stern look.

"Just for that, I may not give you the present I have for you?" he said grumpily.

"You got me a present?" Steve said in delight. He sat up straighter in the bed.

"Not me you big goof," Danny growled as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Handing it to Steve he continued to talk. "I stopped by Rachel's to explain to Grace what happened to you. I didn't want her to hear about it at school. She insisted that I bring this to you." Steve finished unfolding the paper to find a giant, smiling sun with bright rays shining up at him. Above it were the neatly printed words: "Get well soon Uncle Steve". Along the bottom of the page she had printed her name.

"Tell Grace thanks for me, this is sweet," Steve said, his voice filled with emotion. His face softened into a small, pleased smile as he studied the crayon drawing. "You my friend, have a very wonderful daughter."

Danny grinned and nodded, surprised at how much Steve's words touched him. He had been proud of how Grace had insisted that he take something to Steve to make him feel better. He was pleased to see how much a simple picture had made his tough partner smile. His Gracie was a special girl.

"She is one of a kind," Danny agreed. "And you can thank her yourself…after we've wrapped this up and you aren't a target anymore."

Before Steve could reply, Kalea Onakea entered the room carrying a pair of crutches.

"Steve, are you ready to see if you can handle these and take a few steps?" she asked.

"All ready?" Danny said in surprise.

"Just a few steps," Kalea confirmed. "I want to see how his shoulder handles the motion. Then I will know which exercises will help him the most. We can't have the Commander getting lazy."

"Let's do this," Steve said eagerly. He carefully set Gracie's gift on top of the Alverez file and threw back the covers. Shifting slowly he moved until his good right leg was over the side and his cast encased left leg balanced on the bed edge.

"Want some help Superman?" Danny offered stepping forward but Steve waved him off.

"I have to do this myself Danny," Steve argued and glanced at Kalea for confirmation. She nodded encouragingly and watched as Steve used both hands to ease the large cast over the edge of the bed. As he perched on the edge of the bed, she stepped closer, leaned the crutches against the foot of the bed and then fastened a woven safety belt around Steve's waist. Grasping the belt at his back with her right hand, she gripped his left arm with her left hand.

"Detective Williams, could you spot for us? Just stand in front of Steve and catch him if he over-balances," she instructed and nodded as Danny took his place. "Now Steve, are you ready? Move slowly to your feet."

"Yes," Steve said placing his right foot firmly and the floor and began to lever himself upright with his right arm. He winced as the stitches in his shoulder pulled with the effort. Slowly he stood, balancing on his good leg and allowed Kalea to help steady him.

Once she was sure Steve was stable, she nodded to Danny.

"Could you get the crutches please?"

Danny collected them and handed them to Steve. After he got them in place, Steve looked at Kalea.

"Ready?" she asked and he nodded. "Good, now go slowly Steve. No big movements, baby steps Commander."

"Yes ma'm," Steve replied and shuffled forward as Danny hovered anxiously on his right side while Kalea kept a tight grip on the belt around his waist. Three steps and sweat had popped on Steve's forehead and even he couldn't hide the pained expression that every step produced. Stoically he gritted his teeth and took a fourth step forward.

"That is very good Steve but I think you've done enough for a first attempt," Kalea said pulling back on the belt. "Let's put you back in bed." Slowly she guided him into a turn.

"But I am good," Steve protested even though he followed her lead.

"And you are not in charge," Kalea said firmly. "Dr. Patten will have my head if you tear out his stitches so no arguing with me."

"Be a good SEAL and don't argue with your therapist Steven," Danny added.

"Don't you have somewhere to be Danny?" Steve grumbled.

"I'm just covering your back Steve," Danny grinned. "Although this would be more amusing if they hadn't given you a second gown to cover your butt. I thought you might give the nurses a thrill."

"Shut up Danno," Steve groaned as Kalea laughed.

After getting Steve settled back in bed, the therapist placed the crutches in the room's closet, well beyond the patient's reach. Going back to her patient, she checked his shoulder and was grateful to see no blood staining the bandages.

"I will bring some therapy bands in for you to work with later, before I go off shift. There are some stretching exercises that can help the muscles without tearing the stitches out. Do you need anything for pain?" she inquired patting his shoulder lightly.

"I'm fine," Steve assured her.

"And he won't admit it if he wasn't," Danny muttered under his breath.

"I know my own pain threshold Danny. I am fine."

The shorter man crossed his arms over his chest, raised his eyebrows but didn't say another word.

"All right then I will see you later. Get some rest," Kalea told him. "This little exercise took more energy than you think. Let your body continue to heal."

"Thank you Kalea," Steve told her. She nodded and left. Steve lay back against the pillows absently rubbing his arm and shoulder.

"You had better listen to that woman Steven, she's right," Danny commented.

"You concentrate on getting what you can on the Alverez brothers," Steve instructed. "I can handle my recovery and I plan to be out of here in a few days. What have you got from Akana and the HPD drug unit?"

"After a gentle reminder from the Governor's office, Captain Akana gave us four officers to keep eyes on the shop for us," Danny told him.

"Good work Danny," Steve said sincerely. "And we can always smoke the shooter out and use him to nail the brothers."

"You just can't resist doing things the hard way, can you?" Danny said in exasperation. "Why can't you be patient and let us do this following good police procedure?"

"Because these guys made it personal," Steve declared with a steely glint in his eye. "Danny, we don't have time to take this slow. Every day they import and distribute cocaine on the islands. This is exactly the reason 5-0 was created and we have the means and immunity to stop them."

With raised eyebrows, a slow grin spread over Danny's face. It was quite clear that while McGarrett may have agreed to head 5-0 in an effort to take down his father's murderer, he now had fully embraced what this task force could do for Hawaii.

"Well then I had better get back to work," Danny said lightly. "We want this bust to be solid."

The door opened and Nani came in smiling shyly.

"Time to take your vitals….Steve," she said stumbling over his name.

"Talk to you later partner…..you be a good boy and do what this lovely young lady tells you," Danny laughed and headed out the door.

End chapter.

**Well we do have Steve on his feet. Now how long can we keep the guy safe in the hospital? Of course the story will never be finished if we don't let him out. Thank you so much for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Does anyone know how to file for adoption?**

**A huge thank you to all of you who have read this and left me a review. I do love the inspiration you give me.**

Chapter 17

The next two days wore on the 5-0 team's nerves as they chased down every lead that presented itself. The Alverez brothers were very good at covering their tracks and absolutely nothing illegal could be traced to the store proper. Kono had found nothing suspicious in any of the employee's backgrounds, noting that most of the sales staff were middle-aged women and the delivery personal were high school kids. The brothers themselves handled the buying and their office assistant/secretary was a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii. Nothing suspect could be found in her background either. It was clear that Bernardo and Javier planned to keep the store above reproach. Tracking down any illegal dealings was much more difficult.

Chin had followed up on the names that Kamekona had provided but so far no connection to either brother could be found. Jenna's contacts had revealed that Santos Arantes did indeed have a new outlet for his cocaine distribution but had not been able to find the destination for where it was shipped as of yet. One of her contacts had a man in deep undercover but he could only get reports out infrequently and they had not heard from him in several months.

This waiting game was becoming frustrating to the whole unit but particularly to Danny. He was beginning to develop a permanent headache as he viewed surveillance footage from the airport and dock arrivals, looking for a face to match the photos he had of known hit men. This of course would only work if the person who shot Steve was a known assassin. He had made note of the return of Bernardo Alverez returning to Oahu the day before and had found himself making three drive bys of the fancy estate the brothers had purchased in a wealthy part of Honolulu. There was not much he could see through the iron gates except for several expensive cars parked in the drive but it let him plan how he would go about getting into the place if they needed to. At this point Danny was ready to try storming the castle gates if it would give them a link to the drug dealing he knew in his gut was going on.

When it came to locating the shooter, Danny knew the man was lying low, waiting for a better chance to get at McGarrett at a later date. He knew this guy who had known enough about Steve to find him on Wa'ahila Ridge and ambush him was no idiot and the man would have a plan. Danny wanted to make sure that he did not have a chance to get to Steve again.

*H 5-0*

Steve put his two days to good use in the hospital. Kalea lengthened his therapy sessions as his strength returned and he became more skilled on the crutches. His shoulder felt better and his balance was so improved that Kalea had to walk quicker to keep up with him as they travelled the hospital hallways to and from the therapy room.

"Steve, you really want out of here, don't you?" she asked as they walked back, their police escort trailing along behind them.

"Yes I do," Steve said firmly.

"I haven't been able to avoid hearing the hospital gossip and since you still have your police shadows it must be true….you really are safer here than if you leave the hospital," she said in concern. "Why not let your team find this guy first? I can say you're not ready to be released," Kalea offered.

"But I am ready, aren't I?" Steve asked as he paused and looked at her levelly.

"Yes, you are," Kalea confirmed. "There really isn't any more I can do for you. I have no reason to keep you here except to keep you alive," she added knowing he had no intention of playing it safe. She could see the determination written all over his face.

"I have a job to do Kalea and I need to be out of here to do it. Thank you for getting me back on my feet," Steve said warmly.

"You are welcome Steve. I just hope I'm not releasing you to find out there is an ugly result," Kalea sighed.

"I will be fine, I promise," Steve assured her.

They resumed the walk back to his room.

"I do know what I am doing," he continued.

"I know that Commander," Kalea smiled. "And I do not want to see you again…..as a patient that is."

"I will do my best," Steve promised laughing. "So when am I out of here?"

"I will give my report to Dr. Patten and he makes the call. My best guess is tomorrow or the day after."

"Good."

Neither of them noticed Nani standing nearby at the medicine cart. A crestfallen expression settled on her as she realized her favorite patient was leaving. She couldn't wait to talk to Susan and Taralyn about this development.

*H 5-0*

That evening after their shifts ended the three nurse's aides met at Kekahuna's with Nani unable to hide her glum mood.

"All right…what happened today to make you this gloomy?" Taralyn demanded.

"They are releasing Steve," Nani grumbled.

"Oh shoot, Mr. Drop Dead Gorgeous is going home?" Susan asked. "So sorry Nani, I was hoping to get a closer look at him."

None of the girls paid any attention to the man in the booth next to them who had hidden himself behind a newspaper right after he had sat down.

"When are they releasing him?" Taralyn brought up the question that was the first on Bart's mind.

"Either tomorrow or the next day. It depends on what Dr. Patten says," Nani responded. She leaned forward as her two friends copied her. "I heard some of the staff saying that someone out there is waiting to kill him once he leaves the hospital," she whispered loudly.

"And he is going home?" Taralyn said in surprise. "Is he lolo?"

"No, just very brave," Nani sighed. "His team will protect him but if this guy shot him once, he might try again. He might get lucky this time." Her pretty face was downcast at the thought of something happening to the handsome task force leader.

"That is very dramatic," Susan said, her eyes glowing. "You are right; the man is just too good to be true."

"I told you. He is special," Nani stated.

"Oh please Nani, Susan," Taralyn groaned. "He's just a man, get over it."

"That was harsh Tara," Susan scolded. "You know how it is with some patients. Don't clobber us for admiring the guy."

"Okay….sorry. Maybe I am jealous," Taralyn gave in and the conversation then switched to other hospital gossip.

Bart shut out the talk from the other booth and leaned back in his seat, considering the information he had just picked up. He wanted McGarrett out of the hospital and in his own home; he had a plan for getting into the house. The sticking point was going to be the rest of the 5-0 team. Maxwell knew there would be a protection detail on McGarrett and most likely the task force would stay with him as well. Bart needed a plan to get them out of the house and leave McGarrett alone. But what would do that?

Slowly sipping on his beer, he ran various ways to draw the 5-0 team out and have them leave their leader with just his police protection. There was no doubt that it would require a high priority situation to lure them out. Given the information he had gleaned from hacking into the police website and what he had learned from following Chin Ho Kelly around for part of a day, Bart knew they were focused on the drug dealers in town. There was one thing that 5-0 would not be able to ignore but Bart wasn't sure that his employers were going to like what he was going to suggest.

He finished his beer and left the bar and grill without looking at the three girls. He had his plan and now his skills would help him complete his contract. He pulled out his phone to make a call that he didn't want to make but had no choice and dialed. He set up an appointment to meet with the brothers the next morning and then broke the connection. With a heavy feeling hanging on him….he headed back to his small apartment knowing that there was no going back. He had set things in motion and if his employers didn't like his idea, he was as good as dead.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. Things are going to head to the conclusion of this now. With Steve getting out of the hospital, it is time to settle everything. Remember…..the muse does love to be fed. Thanks.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Dear CBS…..September cannot come fast enough.**

**Thanks to all who have been reading and now let's take a look at what our bad guys are up to, shall we?**

Chapter 18

The following morning Bart Maxwell was ushered into the plush office located above B and J's Refined Palate. Inside, both Alverez brothers awaited with suspicious faces, clearly not pleased with his request for a face to face meeting. He sat down facing the desk where Javier was seated as Bernardo chose to stand behind his brother with arms crossed over his chest. He shifted slightly to one side and stared at the new arrival. Bart licked his lips and decided he might as well just plunge in as they both silently regarded him.

"McGarrett is going to be released either today or tomorrow. I can take him out at his home but he is sure to have his team protecting him. I need some assistance to get them away from his house," Bart told the two.

"You want us to do your job for you Mr. Maxwell?" Bernardo asked coldly. "Just what are we paying you for?" He was not happy having any contact with the hit man. The job they had hired him for should have been over and done with.

"You are paying me to kill Steve McGarrett and I will do it but I cannot take on the whole team by myself. I need them out of that house," he said shortly.

"And why is this our problem?" Bernardo inquired as he moved from behind the desk to the right of Bart, forcing him to keep shifting to look at both brothers. "Do you expect us to do everything in this assignment?"

"No, just assist me in getting 5-0 out of McGarrett's house. I can't be two places at once. I have a plan that is sure to work," Bart replied.

"Please…..enlighten us," Javier spoke up before his brother could speak again. He was intrigued by what the assassin might have planned.

"I know that 5-0, the State Police and HPD are showing interest in your operation here. They are not likely to back off any time soon unless you do something to make them look elsewhere. If Mc Garrett's death will eliminate 5-0 then you will still have to give the police someone else to focus on when it comes to your other sales. Set one of your people up to be busted making a deal. 5-0 will not be able to stay away from that arrest and I will have a clear shot at McGarrett," Bart said laying out his plan to them.

"And how does sacrificing one of our dealers get the police off our backs? Do you think we are crazy?" Bernardo snarled angrily as he stalked closer to Maxwell, looming over the seated man. "You want to give them a clear connection to us?"

"No….no," Bart protested. "You set it up so that the police and 5-0 learn that he works for one of your competitors. I know you have an insider in HPD's drug unit; you are too smart not to have connections. He makes sure the guy can't rat you out and points to finger to someone else. Are you telling me no one in your organization is expendable?" He watched the older Alverez brother warily.

"You may find yourself expendable," Bernardo growled as his hand slipped inside his coat. Bart had no doubt that there was a gun holstered there.

"Bernardo…..wait. I think Mr. Maxwell might have a good idea here," Javier interrupted. "I know exactly who to use in this operation. Paulie Koy has been on my watch list for several weeks now. His numbers are suddenly dipping and I suspect he is skimming the profits. I've been planning on eliminating him but this way we can make better use of him and still get rid of the problem. Mr. Maxwell is giving me a very neat way to deal with Paulie and point the cops towards our competitors. Our man on the inside can make sure that Paulie never talks or even makes it inside the police station alive," he finished with a satisfied smile.

Bernardo considered his brother's words and backed away from Bart. He nodded curtly, not completely convinced.

"I don't want this to come back to bite us. I don't even like Mr. Maxwell showing up here. We have worked very hard to keep our enterprises separate," he finally said.

"We can keep things separate if we play this right," Javier stated. "I will deal with this Bernardo. This will serve to warn our employees that they don't dare cheat us." He looked at Bart levelly, his handsome face cold and emotionless. "It seems we can make this work to all of our advantages. Be very sure that you kill McGarrett, you will not get a third chance," he warned.

"I understand," Bart said quickly. "I can handle McGarrett."

"See that you do. You will have your diversion because it suits our purpose to go along with this idea. Of course, your fee will be adjusted due to the necessity of our being involved, understood?" Javier said leaving no room for argument.

"Of course," Bart ground out between his teeth. He was not afraid of many things but these two made his skin crawl. He was sure that Bernardo was armed and most likely so was Javier. He would finish this job and get off this damn island and count himself lucky.

"Let me know when you want to make the move on McGarrett and I will put the rest of our plan in motion," Javier said, satisfied not to have Maxwell protest the cut in his fee. He motioned for Bart to leave.

"Do not fail again Mr. Maxwell," Bernardo stated as Bart headed for the door.

"I won't," Bart assured him and left hastily.

"I don't like that man," Bernardo said as the door shut.

"Let him finish off McGarrett and then we are done with him. I have a plan for our Mr. Maxwell that will make sure he gets what is coming to him," Javier replied with a smile.

"Very good little brother," Bernardo said with a pleased smile. "I will contact our man at HPD and let him know what is expected of him."

*H 5-0*

Kono stood in Steve McGarrett's living room and glanced at her cousin, rolling her eyes at the scene before her. A small shrug was Chin's response to the standoff taking place in front of them. Steve McGarrett was balanced on crutches as he glared at Danny Williams who stood before him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Danny, there is no reason that everyone to stay here 24/7," Steve said for the second time.

"And I think there is a very good reason for it. In case you weren't paying attention Steven, the Governor has not put you back on active duty. Just because you are out of the hospital, it does not mean that you are in charge here," Danny stressed, not backing down.

"Boss, why don't you have a seat and rest your leg?" Kono suggested trying to ease the tension.

Steve frowned at her, unwilling to give up the height advantage. It frustrated him that Governor Jameson had informed him that he was on indefinite leave while his leg healed.

"There is a detail on guard outside. I'm not helpless. All three of you do not need to be here," he argued.

"We're ohana Steve, we stick together," Chin said quietly. "You would do the same if it were one of us."

Steve opened his mouth to argue and then clamped it shut as he looked at his team; his ohana. Chin's expression was intense; sure of his convictions. Kono was anxious; not happy with the discord in the group and Danny ….well Danny stubbornly stared at him, insisting that Steve see things his way. All of them ready to be the defensive line that the assassin would have to break through to get to him. And Chin was right, he would insist on doing the same if the roles were reversed.

"Okay," he sighed and moved over to the leather couch and lowered himself onto it. He lifted his left leg so that the cast rested on the seat cushions. "So tell me, team leader….how do we wrap this up now that I'm out of the hospital? Do we have a solid lead on the Alverez brothers or do we lure the shooter in here?" he asked mildly.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. Looks like things are going to roll toward a conclusion here soon. I always appreciate your feedback.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. Is it September yet?**

**Thanks for reading; I really get so encouraged when I see your reviews. **

Chapter 19

Danny let out a loud sigh and ran his hands back through his hair at Steve's question. Just what leads did they have to bring this situation to a conclusion?

"We are closing in on them. Kaye's source is tracking where Arantes' shipments are going once they leave him. HPD just got wind of a big buy that may be going down soon. It is possible that the dealer works for the Alverez brothers. When they confirm the time and location, we'll make a move," he reported. "Kamekona is keeping his ears open."

Danny wished their leads were more solid and that he could tell Steve they were close to making an arrest. The desire to keep his strong-willed partner safe was strong but he understood McGarrett's need to get this over and done with. He hoped that this rumored drug deal would be the lead they needed.

"Steve, let's give this a chance to play out," Chin spoke up. "We should exhaust all these tips before trying to bring the shooter here."

"And you think he will just sit and wait while we investigate his employers?" Steve asked curiously.

"No we don't and that is why we have the protection detail outside and we are here," Danny replied. "No one is getting in here to try and kill you. In the meantime, we chase down every lead we get."

Steve sat silently and considered what Danny and Chin had said. Deep down he still felt the guy hired to kill him was the best lead to arresting the Alverez' but he wasn't in charge of this case. He had to respect Danny and Chin's reasoning and he didn't question Danny's leadership but the urge to jump in and take control was powerful. The weight of the cast on his leg made it clear to him that his ability to take action would be limited.

"Boss, luring the shooter here is always a final option," Kono suggested. She glanced between Danny and Chin, willing them silently to take it down a notch and show Steve they weren't cutting him out of the decisions.

Chin smiled at her and nodded slightly, understanding her wish to keep harmony in the team. While he felt Danny was right with the choices he was making, Chin did see what it was costing Steve to sit around doing nothing while waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was difficult for someone used to controlling his own destiny to let others make the call on how things were handled.

Fortunately for all of them, Danny was not oblivious to his partner's need to run the show. He grinned at McGarrett and rubbed his hands together.

"Well Super SEAL….as soon as HPD gives us the word; we will go and bust these idiots. Until then we protect your sorry ass and you get to put up with our presence," he informed Steve. "But since this is your house….you get to decide what is for dinner."

"I'm not cooking," Steve shot back quickly, pointing to his leg. "You're on your own."

"How about pizza?" Kono suggested being the first to recover from Steve's quick response.

"Sounds good to me as long as you don't insist on slapping pineapple and other offensive ingredients on it," Danny said firmly.

"Pepperoni and cheese only, right brah?" Chin chuckled.

"I can deal with that," Danny nodded. "There is no need to pollute a good slice."

"Polluting is in the eye of the beholder," Chin responded dryly.

"You do not put fruit on pizza. Trust me, I cannot emphasize enough how wrong that practice is. Any true connoisseur of Italian cooking will tell you that," Danny began his familiar rant.

"Okay….Danny we get it," Steve interrupted holding up one hand. "We'll order two, one for you and one of a more Hawaiian nature," he grinned.

"That works for me," Danny gave in. "I cannot save your warped taste buds if you won't let me."

"We appreciate that Danny," Kono laughed as she pulled out her phone. She called the nearest pizza place that delivered an East coast style pizza and placed their order. Giving them Steve's address, she noticed that Chin was informing the detail posted outside that a delivery car would be on the way and it was okay to let them in. Shoving her phone in her pocket, Kono looked at the three men with a twinkle in her eye.

"So tell me…what are the sleeping arrangements going to be around here?" she asked.

"Bedrooms are upstairs," Steve said pointedly ignoring Danny's snicker. "I think I am going to stay right here tonight. I don't feel like attempting the stairs right now."

"I'll get you a pillow and some blankets," Kono offered and ran upstairs.

"She's been dying to play nurse," Chin told Steve with a grin. "She went through a phase as a kid where everyone got bandaged if they visited her home."

"I was not that bad," Kono's voice floated down from the upper level. "And you looked so good with that head bandage I gave you," she added looking over the upper level railing. With deadly accuracy she threw the pillow at Chin's head. Reflexively Chin caught the missile before it hit him and smiled apologetically at his cousin.

"Sorry Cuz, I always felt you would have made a great nurse," he said. "Glad you decided to follow the family career though."

"You make a great cop Kono. The nursing world's loss is our gain," Steve told her as she came downstairs with the blankets. She set the blankets down on a chair and favored Steve with a smile.

"Thanks Boss. I am sure that I will not need to practice my bandaging skills on you," Kono grinned.

"Maybe not you but I know a cute little nurse's aide who would drop everything to come here and nurse Steve," Danny teased.

"Enough of that," Steve groaned. "I'm just glad to be out of there and home."

The conversation turned from work and everyone began to relax. Danny had to admit that for Hawaii, the pizza place was able to deliver a pretty good slice but refused to even try one with fruit on it. Steve did confess that the pepperoni and cheese was very good but stated that Danny had no sense of adventure.

At ten-thirty, Chin and Kono went upstairs to get some sleep while Danny took the first shift. As Steve attempted to get comfortable on the couch, Danny settled in a nearby chair. A dim light shown from the dining room providing some light and bathing the area in long shadows.

"Danny."

"Yes, Steve?"

"Thanks for everything."

"No problem Rambo. We will finish this."

"You know how this is going to play out, don't you?" Steve asked. He could see Danny nod. "Then you know what we need to do."

"I do."

*H 5-0*

At 12:30 Danny's phone ringing brought both men to full awareness and Danny quickly answered. Akana of the HPD drug unit informed Danny that they had the time and location of the deal they had been expecting. Every indication was the Alverez brothers were behind it and the buy was set for 45 minutes from now.

"Chin, Kono…..lets go, the deal is going down," Danny called out, after hanging up.

Both of them were downstairs in a matter of minutes.

"We have 45 minutes…..Akana says it is happening tonight," Danny informed them. "We have to go now."

"But what about Steve?" Kono asked hesitantly.

"I'm good Kono," Steve said grabbing his gun from the side table. "Go nail these guys."

"But…" Kono would have kept protesting but a head shake from Chin silenced her. She looked in surprise at Danny who didn't seem to mind leaving their boss alone after all his earlier insistence that they stay with Steve. Something was up.

"You…..stay put and let the detail protect you," Danny ordered looking at Steve.

"Yes sir," Steve said with a salute and then grinned. "Remind Akana that Jameson has given 5-0 the lead on this."

"I will. You stay out of trouble," Danny winked and the three left the house.

End chapter.

**Well…..it appears that things are going to pick up speed now. What do you think, has Danny done a complete about face on protecting Steve? I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But I intend to enjoy playing with them whenever I can.**

**Thank you so much for the lovely comments you have given me. BookEmDanno50, I do wish I could reply to your reviews personally but there is no PM capability at your profile. Thank you for your reviews. Thank you all for reading.**

Chapter 20

Once in Chin's car and heading away from Steve's house, Kono turned on her cousin, glaring at him accusingly.

"What is going down? Why are we leaving Steve alone after making such a big deal out of not abandoning him?" she demanded.

"Danny knows what he is doing," Chin said calmly.

"Do you?"

"He hasn't shared with me but I have a good idea what's going down," Chin answered.

"You do know that this bust may just be a set up to get us to leave Steve alone," Kono muttered as Chin continued to drive to the meeting place with Captain Akana.

"Don't you think Danny and Steve recognize that possibility?" Chin asked bluntly.

"So what's the plan Cuz?" she asked, calming down. She had no more asked the question than her phone rang and she saw it was Danny. She hit the speaker so Chin could hear what he had to say. "Hey Danny."

"All right, here's the plan," Danny said without any greeting. "In a few minutes I'm heading back to Steve's. You two go on ahead and meet with Akana. Chin, you are in charge, don't let Akana give you any crap. I've all ready informed him that you would be running this operation for 5-0," he finished.

"You had this planned out?" Kono couldn't help asking.

"Steve and I figured this might happen," Danny replied. "We worked out a strategy on the way to his house from the hospital."

"So that argument at the house was staged?" Kono inquired, her voice showing her hurt at being excluded.

"Sort of. Steve really didn't think everyone needed to sit at his place waiting. We weren't sure if the shooter has eavesdropping equipment and was listening in but we thought it was possible. So we covered our butts with this," Danny explained. "Sorry guys."

"It's all right brah," Chin said before Kono could speak.

"Okay….remember; there is every chance that this drug deal is the real thing. And if it is…..we need that dealer alive. We have to be able to connect him to the Alverez brothers," Danny instructed.

"Do you suspect that he might not survive this?" Chin questioned.

"It is very possible that this trap was baited with live bait. And if it is then you know what this means," Danny cautioned.

Chin nodded and even Kono understood.

"Another mole in HPD," Chin sighed.

"Right…be careful," Danny answered.

"You too," Kono replied as the connection ended. Chin could see Danny's headlights turn to the left at the next intersection as he headed back to McGarrett's home.

*H 5-0*

Bart crouched in the bushes and watched as the two 5-0 vehicles pulled away from the house. He removed the headphones that had allowed him to listen to the conversation in McGarrett's house through the bug he had planted several days earlier. Two days before Steve's release from the hospital, Bart had made a trial run at breaking in. Now he felt confident that entry into the house would not be a problem and he only had to deal with the protection detail that HPD had assigned to watch McGarrett's home.

Dressed all in black, Bart silently slipped through the shrubbery until he was near the police cruiser watching his target's home. A satisfied smile spread over his face as he observed the lowered rear window in the vehicle. This would be too easy. With a gentle lob, he tossed a gas canister into the rear seat of the car. The potent gas quickly filled the car and knocked both officers unconscious before they could respond in any way. With a grim smile he looked toward the backyard, only one man stood in the way of his entering Steve McGarrett's house.

Pausing in the thick undergrowth on the edge of the house's secluded backyard, Bart observed the dark form of the third officer as he patrolled the beachfront. Patiently he waited until the man got as close as his path took him and then quickly crossed the remaining space, tackling the officer before he could react. The father of three fought back but he was not able to prevent Bart's knife from cutting his throat. Bart rose to his feet, leaving the body to bleed out in the sand and turned his attention to the dark house before him.

Running to the lanai, he brought out a small remote that he pressed a numbered code into and disabled McGarrett's alarm system. Kneeling by the back door, he quickly picked the back door lock by the light of the full moon.

*H 5-0*

Steve had gotten up from the couch shortly after his team had left the house. He balanced on one crutch positioned under his left arm as he gripped his gun in his right hand and tried to decide where the intruder would gain entry. Listening carefully he heard a faint scratching at the door to the back of his house. A glance at the alarm pad by the front door showed that the alarm was disabled and he knew where the man was coming in. Trying to move as quietly as he could, Steve shuffled to the doorway leading to the back of the house. Reaching the wall, he leaned against it to the left of the passageway, listening to the faint footsteps that approached from the other room. He shifted slightly and the noise of his cast on the floor made the footfalls pause. Both men waited quietly….hoping to hear the other make the first move.

*H 5-0*

Danny drove quickly back to McGarrett's home, hating the fact that he had left him alone in the first place. That had been the major flaw in this plan from the beginning and Danny had not been able to dissuade his hard headed partner from pursuing it.

Parking two blocks down so as not to alert the hit man, Danny jogged towards Steve's house and quickly tried to call the officers in the cruiser, swearing when he got no answer. A sickening knot in his stomach had him increase his speed until he reached the silent car. The gas had dissipated but the two officers were still unconscious and Danny pulled his gun out and headed towards the house's front door.

A quick check showed the door shut tightly and Danny began to circle the house planning to join up with the third cop on duty. That hope was dashed as he spotted the dark figure laying on the beach in the moonlight. He ran to the officer but his instincts were all ready screaming at him that it was too late. As he knelt to check for a pulse he knew wasn't present, Danny pulled out his phone.

"This is Detective Danny Williams of 5-0. I need back up at Steve McGarrett's house ASAP. I have one officer down and two out cold," he reported in a low voice. Looking towards the house he could see the back door standing open slightly. "The suspect has gained entry to McGarrett's house from the rear. Get a move on," he snapped and hung up.

Pocketing his phone and trying to ignore the sick feeling that was rising up inside him, Danny hurried to Steve's house. Holding his gun at the ready position and knew he needed to proceed with caution, not knowing the situation in inside.

As he set foot on the lanai, a shot rang out followed by a loud crash.

"Steve!" Danny yelled and throwing caution to the wind he charged towards the back door.

End chapter.

**Thank you for reading. As you can see, things are happening faster now. Hang on; it could get a bit bumpy. **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. It is however running my life at the moment.**

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. For those who do not have the PM activated on your profile, I am sorry, I cannot reply to your kind reviews. I am grateful for your comments. And thank you all for being patient with this update, my real life was very busy lately.**

Chapter 21

The McGarrett house, shortly before Danny's arrival:

Bart Maxwell had heard the movement in the other room and froze halfway across the space. So it appeared that McGarrett was awake and aware. Knowing that the element of surprise was now gone, Maxwell shifted his plan of attack but wasn't concerned since he believed his opponent had limited mobility. The advantage was still with him. He would use McGarrett's weakness to overcome him he decided as he crept silently to the wall separating the rooms. He held his gun ready to fire.

Steve waited, pressed against the wall, concentrating on any sound he could hear from the other room. A light shuffle on the flooring made him tense and he shifted to get a better angle at the doorway he suspected his attacker would come through. As he moved, the crutch slipped slightly and he had to scuff the hardwood with his cast to keep his balance. Hearing where his target was, Bart charged forward, pointing his weapon where he had heard the noise.

The fact that Steve wanted this man alive to finger his employers hampered his reaction to the rush of the other man. He had to improvise his reaction to the rush around the corner. Gripping the crutch tightly in his left hand, Steve swung it upward as Bart rounded the corner and struck at the man's gun hand. He succeeded in sending the gun flying out of Bart's grasp but the move caused him to lose his balance and Maxwell grabbed the crutch end and pulled. Steve fell forward as Bart grabbed for McGarrett's weapon in his right hand.

Abandoning the effort to stay upright, Steve used his body weight to take his assailant to the floor with him. The crutch fell uselessly to the side as the two men headed downward. Steve reached out with his left hand to try and chop Bart's grip on his gun hand and they hit the floor struggling for possession of the weapon. Bart rammed one fist into Steve's jaw and sent Steve rolling onto his right shoulder, sending a wave of pain through the ex-SEAL. Forced to stop his assault on Bart's wrist, Steve brought his fist up into Bart's throat instead.

Gasping for breath, Bart sent a weaker punch to Steve's face and McGarrett felt his grip on his weapon loosen. Trying to bring the gun to bear on his opponent, Steve felt his wrist twisted and he lost his grip as his fingers went numb. The gun fell free and Steve could only kick with his foot to send it away from both of them. It was clear that this assassin had had training in hand to hand combat similar to Steve's and he could not underestimate him.

As Bart half rose to retrieve the gun, Steve reached out and grasp his arm, yanking him across his body and away from the weapon. Bart shoved down on Steve, cracking his head against the floor but Steve refused to let go. Unable to move freely with the cast on his leg weighing him down, Steve struggled for leverage against the more agile man. Bart pulled his knife free and straddled Steve, trying to shove the blade through his throat. Desperately Steve hung on to the man's wrist with both hands, attempting to stop the knife's downward motion. The effort caused several of the stitches in his shoulder to pull free and pain surged up Steve's right arm. As he felt the strength in that arm give way, Steve twisted to the side to compensate and the blade moved to the side but not before taking a deep knick in McGarrett's neck near the collarbone. With a grunt of pain, the leader of 5-0 brought his knee up into Bart's stomach and kicked him backwards.

Bart landed heavily on his back and scrambled quickly to his feet, seeing Steve's gun just a few feet away. As he reached for it, he took his eyes off of McGarrett. Steve took hold of a nearby chair and levered himself up to an upright position as his opponent closed his fingers around the butt of the gun. Without time to think, Steve launched himself at the man, reaching for the gun. Both men struggled for possession and Bart tried to turn the gun into Steve's body and pull the trigger. He looked into the eyes of the man he had been hired to kill and saw cold determination looking back at him. In the battle of strength, he felt his wrist snap just as his finger tightened on the trigger and Bart Maxwell died knowing that he had gravely underestimated his target's abilities.

Steve wrenched himself away from the falling body of his attacker and fell into a side table, knocking over a lamp and sending it crashing to the floor. As he lay on the floor next to it he heard his name called out from the rear of the house and moments later Danny came skidding into view.

Breathing heavily, Danny took in the scene before him, relief flooding over him to find Steve still breathing not far from the body of the other man.

"You're late," Steve panted as he rolled over to his left side and struggled to sit up. Danny could see the blood staining Steve's right shoulder and the trail of blood that ran down the front of his T-shirt.

"You just couldn't wait, could you?" Danny scolded. "You had to take him on by yourself." He holstered his gun and went to assist Steve to his feet, slipping under Steve's left arm to help him to a nearby chair.

"He didn't seem be inclined to wait for you. I would have been happy to let you in on the fun," Steve replied as he sank gratefully into the chair. He looked at Maxwell's body in regret. "Damn, I wanted him alive and talking."

"It doesn't look like he gave you much choice here," Danny observed as he bent over the body. He moved Steve's gun aside. "He killed Phillip and gassed Wong and Marcum. You did what you had to do." He pulled a wallet out of Maxwell's pocket as the sound of sirens announced the arrival of HPD backup. "We have a name. Bart Maxwell."

"Maybe he has a phone that we can check for numbers he might have called," Steve suggested as he tried to assess the damage to his shoulder. He winced as his hand came away bloody. Danny was checking further but looked at him and shook his head.

"Not on him but most likely he has a car stashed nearby. There is probably one in there," he answered. "Are you okay?" he added as he saw the pain on Steve's face.

"I'm fine," Steve waved off the concern as there came the sound of pounding on the front door. He motioned for Danny to open it as two other officers charged into the room from the rear, guns aimed at them. "Easy officers, everything is under control," he said mildly.

Danny admitted the two at the front door and then went to get a closer look at Steve's wounds. Examining Steve's bloody shoulder, he shook his head.

"Dr. Patten is not going to be happy with you babe," he scolded. "You need to have that dealt with."

"It can wait."

"No it can't. Remember I am still in charge," Danny argued.

The determined look on Danny's face kept Steve from protesting further. After Danny gave the officers instructions on what he wanted done at the house and Steve gave a brief statement to them, Danny helped Steve out to his truck. The irony did escape Danny that this time he got to drive Steve's vehicle and there was nothing that his control freak partner could do about it.

*H 5-0*

The drug bust that Chin and Kono had joined was taking place at a warehouse down by the docks. Chin divided the unit into several teams to cover the various exits. There was definitely a drug deal going down and HPD had observed at least seven men inside. They had identified a small time dealer named Paulie Koy and two of his boys as the men making the cocaine sale to a pusher from the big island and his help, who had arrived by boat.

On Chin's signal the teams moved into the warehouse but a carless man bumped into a stack of crates alerting the suspects, causing the men to scatter in an effort to avoid arrest.

Kono and Det. John Liwai followed Paulie Koy as he broke away from the others while Chin and Captain Akana pursued the buyer. Paulie wove in and out of the crates heading for a side entrance. Kono caught up to him just as he reached the door.

"Paulie Koy….stop right there," Kono ordered.

Paulie skidded to a stop, raised his hands and turned to face Kono. He had no weapon in his hands but a gun butt could be seen tucked in his jeans. His gaze travelled past Kono and a big smile spread across his face.

Hey Liwai, I'm glad to see you," the skinny Hawaiian said in relief.

End chapter.

**It looks like we have some more trouble to settle before this is all over. Thank you for reading. I am not the best at writing close physical fights so I hope this made sense.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am impatiently awaiting the start of the fall season.**

**Thank you all for your kind responses to my last chapter. Now we will see if we can get Kono out of hot water.**

Chapter 22

Kono looked back at Det. Liwai to see the HPD officer's weapon pointed directly at her. With a quick decision, she moved her weapon from covering Koy to center on the new threat. There was a look of disgusted disappointment on her face.

"So you're the mole," she stated flatly.

Liwai winced slightly at the term but continued to keep his gun on Kono.

"Put your weapon down Officer Kalakaua. This isn't personal," Liwai ordered.

Paulie started to inch towards the door, feeling he was off the hook. He had heard rumors that the Alverez brothers had a man inside the HPD drug unit. An earlier run-in with Liwai that had resulted in the officer letting him go without a trip to headquarters had convinced Koy that this detective was on the take.

"Stay put Paulie," Liwai ordered sharply. "Take out your gun and put it on the crate next to you….now." John moved closer to Koy, never taking his attention off Kono, who had not dropped her weapon.

"I gotta get out of here, man," Paulie whined nervously. "I don't need another arrest on my record." He pulled his gun out of his waistband and set it on the crate next to him.

John Liwai reached for the weapon as he stepped beside Paulie, never moving his eyes from Kono.

"You are an idiot Paulie, the bosses know you were ripping them off," he said and aimed a kick to the back of Koy's knee in a smooth martial arts move. He never wavered with his own weapon in his left hand, not giving Kono an advantage to move on him.

"You are not walking away from this," Kono said calmly. Her mind was racing, trying to find a solution to this standoff. Liwai was in complete control and would not be easily distracted, unlike the drug dealer who was howling on the floor at Liwai's feet.

"I said this wasn't personal Kalakaua but Paulie is going to be shot dead after his weapon takes you out," Liwai said as he raised Koy's gun in his right hand and aimed at her head.

"And just how are you going to explain my bullet in you?" Kono inquired and then smirked as the sound of a shotgun being pumped could be heard to Liwai's left. He looked over to see Chin Ho Kelly glaring at him, his weapon centered on the detective's head.

"Your plan has a few holes in it," Chin said coldly. Captain Akana stood beside Chin, his gun also drawn, a frown on his face.

"Captain….."

"Save it John. I don't want to hear it. Talk to your lawyer, you are going to need one," Akana warned. "You will have a lot of explaining to do to IA. Now put your weapons down."

For one brief moment, John Liwai considered trying to shoot his way out of this. He knew he was good, he could take the rookie he was sure and probably Akana but the deadly stare from Chin Ho Kelly convinced him that he would not escape him. He had been stashing money away, he would gamble on his lawyer cutting him a deal that would keep him out of prison. He lay the two guns down on a crate.

Kono stepped up immediately to cuff Paulie before he tried to slip away. Akana went to Liwai and secured his wrists behind his back. The HPD leader was stung to find a traitor on his team and his wounded pride had him roughly shove the man towards the approaching members of his team coming to help. Kono grinned at Chin.

"I think we have found our Alverez connection," she said as she helped Paulie to his feet. The little drug dealer was limping and whimpering as an officer took him off Kono's hands.

"Looks like," Chin agreed and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to see it was Danny on the other end.

"Hey Danny…..what's up on your end?" he asked.

"I've got Steve at the hospital. Our fearless leader took out the assassin all on his own but tore out his stitches in the process. How are things with you?" Danny asked.

"We have the name players in custody. A couple of the help are dead but we have the mole, Paulie Koy and the buyer. They are transporting them to HPD and we are going to question them there. I am confident that they will be able to connect the dots for us," Chin responded.

"Sounds good. I'll get Steve patched up and take him home and then join you. We need to move on the Alverez operation quickly before they hire another hit man," Danny answered.

"I think they will be busy packing up to run home…..but okay. And just how easy will it be to get Steve to go home do you think?" Chin chuckled.

"I have no idea," Danny groaned. "Just see what you can learn and I will join you as soon as possible."

Chin laughed and hung up, finding Kono watching him curiously.

"Danny has Steve at the hospital getting his shoulder re-stitched. The boss took out the assassin himself but got a bit banged up. Danny will come down to headquarters as soon as he gets Steve home."

"Twenty says that Steve comes with him" Kono grinned.

"I….I don't think I will take that bet," Chin replied. "Come on; let's see what we can get out of them before those two show up."

"Looks like I missed my chance to practice my bandaging skills," Kono said lightly.

"Knowing Steve, I'm sure the chance will come up again Cuz," Chin answered as they headed out to the car.

*H 5-0*

Danny Williams paced the emergency room's waiting area while the medical personal worked on Steve. He had called ahead to warn them he was bringing McGarrett in for treatment and learned on arrival that the hospital had called Dr. Patten in handle it. It made things very clear to Danny that Governor Jameson's influence stretched pretty far if it meant that Patten would respond to a call in the middle of the night to handle an emergency call. Steve had appeared very uncomfortable with the special treatment but had quietly submitted to the nurse who wheeled him into the treatment area.

After checking in with Chin, Danny was anxious to get his hands on the prisoners and shake some answers out of them. None of this was worth it if they couldn't put away the Alverez brothers. If they stayed free, he was sure they would go underground for a bit and then resurface with another attempt to remove Steve so they could continue with their business. He looked up as Dr. Patten entered the waiting room.

"He's fine," the doctor began before Danny could ask the obvious question. "The damage to his shoulder is less than I feared. I have re-stitched it and bandaged him up. He will be in some pain but my guess is he won't let that stop him. His leg appears to be no worse for wear."

"Thanks Doc. I had no idea they would call you in. We may have solved the problem so he should be able rest and recover," Danny answered.

"I promised the Governor that I would take care of Commander McGarrett and I keep my promises. I couldn't let him ruin all my work. Just try and keep him from tearing them out again," Patten said with a tired grin.

"I'll do my best," Danny promised.

Ten minutes later Steve was wheeled out to the waiting room. He looked at Danny expectantly….knowing he had been in touch with Chin by now.

"Well…what went down at the bust?" he asked.

"They got Koy, the buyer and the mole," Danny told him. "They are questioning them at HPD now."

"Okay, let's go," Steve said bluntly.

"You are going home, and then I will join them," Danny argued.

"Let's not waste time. I'm okay, we are going to HPD," Steve stubbornly insisted.

"We don't have your crutches," Danny tried again, recalling that they had left the house without them.

"I have you," McGarrett pointed out with a slight smile.

"Oh….I give up," Danny sighed, wheeling Steve out to the truck as Steve smiled in triumph.

End chapter.

**Now I am almost finished with this story. Thank you all so much for helping my first multi chaptered H 5-0 story be a success. Of course we are not quite finished…..we do have a couple of brothers to deal with. Thank you so much for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And the second season premier date is getting closer!**

**Thank you, thank you, and thank you to each and every one of you who have read, commented or both.**

Chapter 23

Danny and Steve created quite a stir as they entered HPD's drug unit squad room. The tall, ex-SEAL leaned heavily on the shorter man who supported him on his left side. A snicker from one of the officers sitting at a desk brought two steely glares to focus on him and he quickly shut up. One of the others went to get Captain Akana, who was with Chin and Kono questioning Paulie Koy. The three left the drug dealer and hurried out to the squad room to find Steve seated and Danny trying to get caught up on what had been happening since the raid.

"Sure glad I didn't take your bet," Chin said under his breath to his cousin.

Kono nodded but observed the tired look in Steve's eyes and the white bandage that was peeking out of the front of his bloodied T-shirt. The grim set to McGarrett's mouth made it clear that it had been a rough night for the Lt. Commander.

"Hey Boss, good work taking out the shooter," she announced proudly.

"Thanks. I hear you had a productive night as well. Has anyone talked?" he responded.

"Paulie is singing like a bird, hasn't even asked for a lawyer. I guess knowing his bosses wanted him dead has shown him the error of his ways. Det. Liwai has lawyered up and our big island buyer is keeping quiet. We've ID'd him as Bo Mahaulu, he has several arrests but no convictions on his record," Chin answered.

"Has Paulie named the Alverez brothers?" Danny asked. "Do we have enough to move on them?"

"We can move on them," Akana confirmed. "I have a feeling once Liwai has time to confer with his lawyer he is going to try and deal his way out of a prison sentence. He'll talk." The look of disgust on Akana's face showed how the discovery of a mole on his squad bothered him. He was taking this all very personally.

"Thank you Captain. Do you still have someone keeping an eye on the brothers?" Steve asked.

"We do," Akana told him. "Their last report has the brothers tucked away in their house. They are probably getting a good night's sleep."

"Until they don't hear from Maxwell that I'm dead," Steve pointed out.

"Or until they don't get confirmation from Liwai that Paulie is dead and they're safe," Danny added.

"Then they will run," Steve stated bluntly.

Akana immediately went to a phone to alert his men watching the house. After hanging up he shouted for others to head out to the house as backup.

Steve levered himself out of the chair.

"Let's go," he told Danny. He looked at Chin and Kono. "Come on…we are not just sitting this out."

"Do I have to remind you that you are not on active duty, not to mention in no shape to do this?" Danny asked in frustration.

"We're wasting time Danny," Steve growled. "I'll wait in the damn truck, okay? Let's move!"

The cousins were on their way out while Danny hesitated a moment, then quickly slipped under Steve's left arm and helped him hobble out of the squad room. He knew there was no point in standing there and arguing further.

When they got to the Alverez house Danny parked the truck behind Chin's vehicle several yards down the street from the house. He got out and retrieved a vest from the back seat and pulled it on. As he tightened the straps he looked sternly at McGarrett still sitting in the cab.

"Stay. Do not leave this truck, let us handle this. I promise you will get to talk to these scumbags once we've arrested them. Do you understand me?" Danny said firmly.

Steve nodded but Danny caught his quick glance at the truck's ignition.

"No, no, no…..you will not even consider driving this truck anywhere," Danny scolded as he took the keys and pocketed them. "I've got to go, behave!" he instructed and ran to join the others.

"Anything you say Danno," Steve muttered as he opened the glove box and withdrew a spare gun he kept there. He glanced at Chin's vehicle, wondering if it had the keys in it but discarded that idea and in turn considered hot-wiring the truck. He reached out for the steering column and felt his new stitches tug in protest. Reluctantly he sat upright, knowing he should abandon that plan. He looked back in the glove box and brought out a night scope to watch the team go in with HPD.

It was difficult to be an observer as he watched the drug squad break the gate's lock with a battering ram and Chin, Kono and Danny disappear inside. Steve's impatience grew as the minutes ticked by and suddenly the sound of gunfire reached him, causing him to throw open the door to the truck. With great restraint he stayed in the truck, scanning the street around the walled property. Ten minutes later a shadow moved to the right of him and he saw a figure emerge from a door in the wall and cautiously creep along the bricked wall.

Gripping his gun tightly, Steve eased out of the cab of the truck, wincing slightly as his shoulder stitches pulled tightly. Ignoring the discomfort, he hobbled unsteadily into the middle of the street bringing his gun up to cover the man. His target froze as he saw the 5-0 leader come into the glow of the lone street light and he raised his own weapon to center on Steve.

"5-0… drop your weapon," Steve commanded.

Quickly Bernardo Alverez glanced around the area to determine if they were alone. He smiled as he saw he was alone with a man in a thigh-high cast and he brought his gun's aim higher on McGarrett's chest. His eyes met Steve's and he recognized exactly who he was facing.

"McGarrett…." He said in shock as his finger tightened on the trigger.

Steve fired faster, hitting Bernardo's gun hand first and then put a second shot in the man's right kneecap. The Colombian fell to the ground, howling in pain. The sounds of running footsteps had Steve shifting his focus to the new arrivals. Danny, Kono and Chin skidded to a stop, breathing heavily.

"I should have known you wouldn't wait in the truck," Danny panted. "Do you ever listen to a word I say?"

Steve gave him a puzzled look.

"I was in the truck…..until this guy came through the wall. Someone had to stop him," he said defensively.

"Nice shooting Boss," Kono approved as Chin bent over Bernardo, who was still writhing on the ground.

Steve looked down at the Colombian drug trafficker, his face stern.

"You thought that eliminating me would stop 5-0?" he said gruffly. "Major mistake, my team nailed you." He looked at Danny. "What about his brother?"

"They have him inside, he's alive," Danny reported. "This one slipped out the back. I guess it's a good thing I left you out here."

A slow, sly smile spread over Steve's face.

"You're welcome Danno."

"Still with the Danno? Don't you dare tell me to book him. I am going to take you home…..now. And no arguments," Danny stated firmly as he noticed Steve start to waver. It was time for Super SEAL to call it a night.

End chapter.

**Thank you so much for reading. One more chapter left to this story. I want to thank all of you who have given me feedback; it really means a lot to me.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. But I sure have loved writing this story.**

**I want to take this moment to thank all of you who have read and reviewed and those who just read this story. I appreciate all of the interest you have taken in my attempt to write a multi-chapter H 5-0 story. I enjoyed doing it. This is the final chapter.**

Chapter 24

After returning McGarrett to his home and both of them catching a few hours sleep, Danny was once again driving Steve back to HPD. Bernardo Alverez had landed in the hospital thanks to Steve's marksmanship and now they were going in to interview Javier Alverez. Jenna Kaye had delivered to them all the information she had dug up on the brother's operation and they had also been given the information gleaned from the cell phone that had been found in a car two blocks from Steve's house. Javier had quickly called in a lawyer who was going to be present for the questioning.

As they entered the interview room, Javier looked up sullenly at the two members of the 5-0 team. His lawyer had warned him to keep his mouth shut but had not told him who would be conducting the interrogation. Steve maneuvered his crutches through the narrow door as Danny followed him inside. Without taking a seat….Steve stood across the table from the younger Alverez brother. A flash of annoyance crossed Javier's face as he recognized Steve and he shifted slightly to glare at his lawyer for not informing him who he would be seeing.

The man representing him was a middle-aged, dapper gentleman who was no stranger to high profile, questionable clients. He shook his head and coughed discreetly, trying to calm his client. He had handled many drug cases in the past and hoped to get through this interview quickly.

"My client has nothing to say to you," Edward Michelson spoke swiftly. Steve shifted his gaze to the man, his stern glare causing the lawyer to flinch.

"You…..shut up," Steve ordered curtly. "I don't care what your client has to say. Right now I want him to listen." Steve turned back to Javier, balancing on his crutches as his eyes bored into the seated man.

Michelson swallowed quickly and watched the 5-0 leader warily. He had been briefed on Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett and was realizing that his staff had not been exaggerating. Steve and Danny exchanged a quick look and Danny set a cell phone on the table in front of Alverez.

"This is Bart Maxwell's cell phone," Danny informed Javier helpfully.

"I don't know any Bart Maxwell," Javier responded contemptuously as Michelson tried to hush him.

"He certainly knew you," Steve stated. "The call log from this phone has at least two calls to your private office and more than one to him from your home phone. Bart Maxwell died last night trying to kill me."

"Not before he also killed a cop," Danny said bitterly. "Thanks to Paulie Koy and Det. John Liwai, we have all we need to connect you to a nifty little cocaine trade. You and brother Bernardo are going to spend a long time in prison buddy."

"There is no proof that my client received or made those phone calls," Michelson interjected as Javier looked at him, alarm written on his face. He calmed as his lawyer continued.

"Don't relax too much Javier, we have more proof," Steve said watching the interplay between lawyer and client. "We have what we need to connect the dots. " He looked intensely at the Colombian. "Your first mistake was assuming that removing me would cripple 5-0. All you did was make my team hunt you down faster."

"Those phone calls and the testimony of questionable witnesses isn't enough to convict my client…"Michelson began again. Javier kept his mouth shut and smiled smugly.

Danny picked up the cell phone and then set a file folder in front of the two men.

"Then ask your client to explain these ledgers and know we've found the warehouse with the drugs. Your client was sloppy, he didn't hide his records very well," Danny said tapping the file with a finger. "Oh….these are just copies and not very complete ones. We have so much more and that includes notes on Mr. Maxwell that Javier here had in his safe. HPD went through the house and office after the raid…..I would advise making a full confession and hope the judge is in a good mood."

Steve nodded a cold smile on his face and then turned and left the room with Danny right behind him. Angry voices could be heard through the closed door as they stopped outside the room.

"I do believe we ruined Javier's morning," Danny snickered.

"And the rest of his day is not going to get any better," Steve agreed feeling very satisfied as they headed down the hall.

*H 5-0*

Two weeks after the shooting on Wa'ahila Ridge, Danny gave Steve a ride to the Hilton Hawaiian Village to meet Catherine Rollins. They sat at a table and ordered a couple of beers while they waited for her to arrive. Danny's eyes danced with delight at the thought of getting a peek into Steve's personal life.

"You are positive that Catherine is coming? This isn't some grand scheme to make me look like a fool is it? She is planning on giving you a ride home, right?"

"I spoke to her earlier and she confirmed she would be here," Steve replied.

"That's what she did? She "confirmed" your date?" Danny asked with raised eyebrows. "Did you two set the time in Army talk too?"

"It's the Navy Danny," Steve sighed.

"I know that you big goof. Are you two really that formal?" Danny pressed on. "No wonder you're so uptight all the time, you don't know how to behave with a woman," he stated….warming up for a rant. He paused as a delighted smile broke over Steve's face as he looked passed Danny's right shoulder. The Jersey native could see the happiness reach his partner's eyes, giving him a peek at a totally different Steve McGarrett. Twisting in his seat, Danny saw a gorgeous brunette in a sleeveless black dress approaching their table. She smiled as she saw Steve wave and waved back.

"This I presume is Catherine," Danny said knowing Steve was only half listening to him.

"Yes this is," Steve confirmed.

"Well if she had been on the recruiting posters when I was younger…..I would have seriously considered enlisting," Danny muttered as Catherine reached them and leaned in to kiss Steve hello quickly.

"Hello Sailor, it's good to see you," she said huskily, then turned and smiled at Danny.

"Danny, this is Lt. Catherine Rollins. Cath, this is my partner Danny Williams," Steve quickly introduced them as Danny jumped to his feet and pulled out the chair next to Steve for Catherine. They exchanged greetings and a handshake; then Danny sat back down. It did not escape his notice that Steve immediately took Catherine's hand, holding it in his on the table top.

"So it seems that you had quite the adventure while I was at sea," Catherine commented as she looked at Steve's cast and the crutches propped against the table.

"Was Steve this kind of trouble magnet in the Navy?" Danny asked curiously.

"I'm afraid that Steve's Navy career is mostly classified," Catherine replied with a twinkle in her eye. "Sorry Danny….even I don't know the whole of it."

"You told her not to say anything," Danny accused Steve as McGarrett chuckled. "Not fair Steven."

"I've told you Danny, my Navy career is not open for discussion," Steve grinned smugly.

"Are you joining us for dinner Danny? I am sure we can find some subjects we can discuss," Catherine enquired sweetly.

"No…..thanks for asking but I have a date tonight," he smiled.

"You have a date?" Steve asked with interest.

"Yes…..I go on dates," Danny said indignantly. "I have a life."

"You could bring her here and join us," Steve offered, his own interest now raised.

"Thank you for the offer but no thanks," Danny declined, and then a grin spread over his face. "Rachel and I are taking Grace for pizza and a movie. Step-Stan is out of town and Gracie doesn't want her mom sitting home alone," he finished with a shrug.

"Of course," Steve replied but couldn't keep the amusement off his face.

Aware of the direction his partner's thoughts were headed, Danny got to his feet.

"It was wonderful to meet you Catherine and I hope to see you again. Take care of the big guy," he said quickly.

"It was nice to meet you too Danny," Catherine said with pleasure.

"Have fun," Steve added and Danny waved as he headed out.

There was a pause and Catherine gave Steve a squeeze of her fingers in his. She smiled at him warmly.

"He's everything you said he was," she said. "I like him."

"He is one of the best," Steve agreed. "And you…..are a sight for sore eyes. It is so good to have you home." His eyes travelled her face as if reacquainting himself with her features.

"I am so relieved to find you alive," she said seriously. "And I am finally getting a dinner in a restaurant, you are a man of your word," she said lightening her mood and looking around the area in appreciation.

"Of course I am," Steve said with a grin. "How long is your leave?"

"I have a week." Her smile became dazzling and her eyes glowed. "Could you use some TLC?"

"I would love nothing more," Steve answered and leaned in to kiss her.

End Story

**Thank you once more for reading my story. I have been so blown away by the response to it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


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